Make Your Homemade Christmas Gifts a Tradition

Handmade Christmas presents are a Christmas tradition in our family. It all starts the previous year, on Christmas day, after the gifts are all unwrapped, we draw names for the next Christmas. The person has a whole year to work on their idea and find the materials to make their gift. This doesn't mean they do. It has become a Christmas tradition in our household to wait until the last minute.

Does your family have handmade Christmas tradition? Have you waited until the last moment to create your gift? Here are some quick, fun ideas that family members have come up with at our creative Christmas gatherings:

? What can you create if you are not a crafty person? Create cozy comfort basket. This gift is not entirely homemade, but simple. You assemble everything, and there is a homemade element. Purchase an inexpensive basket, and a fleece blanket (can be solid or print, whatever is on sale). Add a pair of cozy thick socks or slippers, and a pair of pajamas. A good book, if you know what the recipient likes to read. A coffee mug (or two), and homemade hot chocolate (pour a hot chocolate packet, a handful of mini marshmallows, mini chocolate chips, all in a clear pastry bag, tie a festive ribbon around the top, and tuck in the mug). Arrange everything attractively in the basket.

? What can a young child make? A homemade Christmas photo ornament. This can become its own Christmas Tradition. Do this every year, and you will have a collection of keepsake ornaments. This is great for children to make for their grandparents. Use heavy cardboard, or thin foam matting to make the frame. Help the child add their photo, and decorate the frame with glitter, rhinestones, glitter pens, stickers, or anything else you can think of. You can also make a larger frame for a desk or wall photo, which can be used all year.