A Handmade Christmas

In the past I have actually made every present I gave away for Christmas, right down to the gift tags and greeting cards. I’d love to be able to get back to that again.

Before I get any further with this, let me explain a few things. By handmade, I mean I purchased materials and created presents, whether they were painted ornaments or books or family tree quilts. I did not go all out and hand blow all the ornaments and mix the paint using pigments and eggs or whatever they use for making paint or create my own paper out of pulp (okay, except for one year) or weave my own cloth and thread and dye them for fabric. Okay, so I gather you probably could’ve gotten that on your own, but just wanted to clarify that contrary to popular belief I cannot do everything.

I don’t know exactly when it started, but Christmastime always gave me a sense that I should give back to those who’ve given to me. I remember as a kid creating activity books for families to do together, and as I got older replacing those books with hand painted ornaments. Eventually I stopped making the ornaments, which is quite sad as I’ve got a ton of blank balls waiting for paint and appropriately sized boxes to put them all in. Hmmm… perhaps I should come up with a simple design, paint and box them up for family and friends. I guess we’ll see how ambitious I get, and it’s not like I’ve got much going on today, except, of course, making Peppermint Bark and maybe another candy like my famous chocolate truffles. I think I’ve got everything to make both my original and orange-ginger versions. Who said handmade presents couldn’t also be edible?

Another option for the crafty individual is to simply get them supplies to make their own stuff. For instance, quilters always appreciate needles, thread and beautiful fabrics. And, even though the internet is quite overflowing with design ideas, sewing books still make great gifts too. Heck, you could even wrap your gifts to a sewer or quilter in fabric! Painters love brushes and canvases or papers. Though, as a painter, I’d be a little skeptical about buying them paint as most have a pretty specific preference, unless, of course, you know what their preference is. Scrapbookers never seem to have enough albums or papers. Well, they usually have way more than they will probably ever use, but always seem to want more! These all make excellent gift baskets, which are both easy to assemble and attractive. But another cute way to give these gifts is in a stacked box display with three or more boxes stacked on top of one another in gradient sizes (smallest to largest) and secured together with ribbon mimicking the shape of a Christmas tree.

While I know Christmas is only a week away, there is still time to make gifts for those on your list you haven’t gotten to yet. Or, if you’re like us, really haven’t even started thinking about shopping for. Then again, sometimes it is just easier to go online, click on a few items to add to your virtual shopping cart, checkout and send those items directly to their recipients. Just saying, if you’ve got the time and are so inclined, why not make something by hand?