Handmade Gifts for the Holidays

The gift-giving season is nearly upon us. If you’re thinking outside
of the box and would like to give gifts that are unique and personal,
you might consider giving handmade gifts this year. There are lots
of ideas that are simple, inexpensive, and from the heart. Here are
just a few:

Personalized Calendar

Everyone needs a new calendar this time of year. Why not give them a personalized calendar? Each month can display a favorite family photo as well as having notations for family birthdays and anniversaries. These calendars are inexpensive and easy to put together at photo centers or websites online.

Family Christmas History Album

Gather all the old family Christmas photos you can find (you  might  have to call a relative or two to round up as many as you can) and then put them together in a Family Christmas History Album complete with captions – who it is, when it was taken, and where it took place. You can also collect Christmas memories from different members of the family and include a written section for those.

Memory Box

This is a great gift for parents and grandparents. Use a pretty box – or even decorate a big jar – to fill with cards the recipient will pull out and read. On each card, write a special memory you have of them (things they did for you, places you went with them, things they taught you), and then fill the box or jar with the memories. What parent or grandparent wouldn’t love being reminded of all the wonderful memories you have of them?

Appreciation Album

This gift will touch the heart of anyone who receives it, as well as making them feel appreciated. Contact friends and family members and ask each one to write a short letter expressing how they feel about the person receiving the gift, and how their lives have been affected by her/him. You can put these together in a spiral bound notebook (any copy center can do this inexpensively) and perhaps put a photo on the cover.

For grandparents or aunts and uncles who live out of town and don’t see the younger family members often, you can make videos, CDs, or tapes of the children to send as gifts. They can talk about school, or sing songs, or just tell the recipient how much they love and miss them, and it will mean the world to the relative receiving it.