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I have to thank my late 84 year old mother for many of these suggestions.
She had a very practical approach, had no space and no need for the
typical presents.
- Purchase a mixture of wrapped sweets from your favourite pick and
mix stand. Fill a basket or tin with shredded Christmas paper (use
up those odd bits and recycle last years). Add the wrapped sweets
to the basket making sure you hide sweets all through the shredded
filling.
- Make up small loaves of special breads. Wrap the loaves in
plastic wrap for freshness and place in a basket lined with festive
napkins. Include a recipe card. Need a recipe?
- Blank video tapes make a great present.
- Giving a cookbook?
Choose a recipe from the book and gather together the dry ingredients.
Place the cookbook and dry ingredients in a decorative basket. Attach
a card that includes the recipe name and page number.
Need a cookbook?
- Wine or home-made preserves.
Put them in fabric Christmas stockings or bags. Need
some help with preserves? or making a stocking
or bag.
- Candles are always a favourite at Christmas! Tie them in bundles
with ribbon or stack them in a festive box. Include a candleholder.
- Writting pad, envelopes and stamps. This is a great present especially
for someone who may be house bound. Package in a large envelope tied
with ribbon or crepe paper. Don't seal the envelope and use a tag
instead of writing on it, the envelope can then be used again.
- Christmas flowers, include all those seasonal favourites. They
make a great gift, especially when given in a decorative container.
Artificial plants or flowers can look very real these days. They make
a great gift for someone who has difficulty getting around to water
real plants or look after fresh flowers.
- Make a Christmas wreath that expresses the interest of the receiver.
For example, for the golfer, wire tees, golf balls etc. into the wreath.
For a sewer, use a variety of different coloured threads, bobins,
ribbons etc. and for someone with a sweet tooth, wire wrapped sweets
and poke into the wreath or make a sweet train by wiring or sewing
wrapped sweets together and winding them around the wreath.
- Cross stitch a Christmas ornament or wall hanging. Don't forget
to stitch the year it was given in the design.
- Fill an attractive cup or dish with someones favourite chocolates,
turkish delight or other treats. Wrap attractively in netting
and Christmas ribbons to hold the contents in place.
- Make a special Christmas tree ornament. These can be made from just
about anything including felt, papier mache, christmas fabric, paper
or clay such as Du-Kit or Premo.
Decorate with stick on beads, festive buttons and faux jewels.
- For the coffee lover, fill a coffee cup, mug or plunger with packets
of different flavoured coffees or cocoas.
Chocolate covered spoons make an interesting addition.
- Make theme or hobby baskets. Fill a decorative basket with
goodies that the person you're giving to uses for their hobby.
- If you can bake, make your finest speciality cake, etc. Wrap securely
and place it in a decorative tin. A wonderful gift for someone who
doesn't do any baking.
- For the gardener, select various packets of flower seeds.
Place in a planting pot or trug (gardners basket) with mini gardening
tools and gloves. Make a raffia bow to hold items in place.
You could also get a selection of hand creams and soaps especially
for the special gardner.
- Tickets to the cinema. If possible include a voucher for popcorn
and/or ice-cream.
- Select or make one or two cusions (pillows), place them in a decorative
box (which can later be used for storage). Give this treasure to a
friend.
- If you have a computer, make a set of thank you notes or stationery;
tie with a festive ribbon and place in an attractive tin. Include
envelopes and a colourful pen.
If you are a stamper make your stationery gift set using your favourite
stamps.
- Home-made gifts from the kitchen will impress your friends and relatives.
Use jars in various shapes and sizes and fill them with your home-made
pickles, fruits, jams and jellies. Cover lids with a festive fabric
tied with ribbon. Need some ideas?
- Photos make great gifts. Take pictures throughout the year
or at one special occassion. Place them in an attractive album
with comments. A single picture framed can make a special gift.
- For the creative writer a journal or notebook for recording thoughts,
poems, etc., is always a treasure. Journals and notebooks come in
great designs now, find something fitting for the reciever.
- Give a favourite magazine subscription.
- Home-made cookies. Including the recipe(s) and a cookie cutter/s
makes a tasty and useful gift. Need a recipe
or some ideas for packaging?
- Make a calendar using a series of your favourite family photos.
Use one photo for each month. Now there's a great gift for the whole
year.
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