Arts & Crafts Is anyone making any Xmas gifts this year?

Last year I made 4 different granolas ( pumpkin pie, chocolate banana, orange cranberry, and vanilla apricot ) , a mixed berry and a watermelon jam.

Didn't do the jam this year but thinking of doing some granola flavors again this year as well as some dessert sauces ( vanilla caramel, a chocolate, and ? ). Finalizing what to make and will make a decision in the next day or so. Already have a HUGE bag of oatmeal from Costco so leaning towards doing the granola but the flavors are up in the air.

Will come back and post with what I end up making
 
Ooooh awesome, I never even thought of doing edibles for xmas! I wish I could do some but all of my gifts this year have to be transported (except 2). What sort of reaction do you guys get when you do food for xmas? Do you give other gifts as well on top of the food?

The watermelon jam sounds awesome! How do you make it?

One year I got a gift from one of my clients, she put all the dry ingredients for m&m cookies inside a glass jar and put the recipe on the lid (for wet ingredients and how long to bake).. the ingredients were layered all fancy haha and she decorated it too.. I thought it was the cutest idea ever!

This year I think I will mainly be making beauty products - bath items, soaps, ect.
 
Yes, though I'm starting to wonder if I'll finish them in time :smile: I'm making handmade needlework ornaments. I figure it's something the families can pull out each year and it'll be like I'm there with them when they're decorating their trees. (Pics of my work in progress are in the handmade x-mas tree decorations thread.) I have these wooden boxes I'll give them in and will buy metal engraved plates from Things Remembered to affix to the tops.
 
I made a bunch of earrings for women I work with- no photos, already wrapped. I already had everything but the sterling ear wires, so very inexpensive gifts that took less than 10 minutes per pair to make.
 
i usually always try to make people stuff instead of buying them something.
my immediate family members always get something made and something bought.
we recently had family photos done this summer so i'm making photo blocks for my parents and my brother with those photos. each block has a letter and a photo and it will spell 'family'
i also made my mom a bracelet and a necklace with pendant with photos of my nephews.

i'm also making one set of aunt and uncle (that i'm closest to) a set of photo blocks from their family photos (they get professional photos ALL the time), and a set for my cousin and her family, and a set for my grandma. they will all spell family. the set for my grandma i'm getting family photos from all of my aunts/uncles/cousins and each family will have their own block (there's 5 families) and then a photo of my grandma and grandpa(who passed away this past may) as the 6th block.
 
to add - i always make sure my handmade gifts are personal and not just something i threw together.
i always want to do the edible christmas gifts but somehow that feels like more than my other crafts - although i'm not sure how lol
maybe it's all the dirty dishes it would create. i hate washing dishes :biggrin:
 
The watermelon jam sounds awesome! How do you make it?

here is the watermelon jam recipe. I believe the recipe was originally created so the person could make a watermelon jelly filled cupcake. My mom served hers with Brie, I made a watermelon BBQ Sauce with mine, my dad I think ate it on toast, and I do not know what others did with theirs.

I give the edibles as a family gift and to people I am not super close with yet want to give them something and then for close family they get something else as well.
 
This year Dia de los Muertos is so hot, especially with the younger crowd, so I made some sugar skull christmas ornaments! :smile: They were fun, easy & mad cute! I am giving some to friends and family & I also sold lots in my Etsy store this season (lilbittyfish.etsy.com). Still have a few left if anyone's interested...at 50% off, of course!

Feliz Navidad!

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Im painting for my dad... Its not done yet, but it will be by saturday...
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One year I got a gift from one of my clients, she put all the dry ingredients for m&m cookies inside a glass jar and put the recipe on the lid (for wet ingredients and how long to bake).. the ingredients were layered all fancy haha and she decorated it too.. I thought it was the cutest idea ever!
.

Just thought I'd let you know that you can find instructions for this idea at Bakerella.com, maybe for next year!

xx