Homemade soaps and candles also I like doing decorative jars full of cocoa and marsh mellows jars of jam I make baskets filled with dried pasta and sauces...Just some ideas for you

How about personal coupon books for things you can do that deal more with spending titime with the person instead of spending money? Things like:

a homecooked meal
a popcorn/DVD night
a Starbuck's date
a picnic in the park

Basically, you are giving away your time instead of spending your money.

You could also get basket, fill it with a nice mug and fill it with cocoa, mints, etc. Put the basket together yourself instead of buying one commercially made.

Hope this helps.

These are great!!! Those jar ideas are something I COULD do....I'm not sure I have the skills for the soaps and candles although I WISH I did! Thanks Melinda!

Warm hugs!
Morus

If you can bake, you might try baking mini loafs of dessert bread. Then wrap them in plastic wrap & tie a bow around them. I usually hand those out to aunts & uncles & such. Also, a suggestion for the jars mentioned above. If you have recent family pictures, you could cut them to fit the jar seals & glue them on.

Thanks to you too, Kabe... and Schnarf, these sound like things that someone like myself who is NOT the craftiest person in the world could handle. I DO bake a bit so that would also be another great option! Particularly for those people who never bake themselves and might enjoy something homemade!

Great ideas!

Warmest hugs.....

Morus :)

Have someone take a few pictures of you and your daugher, you can get 4x6 printed fot about 24 cents a piece at Wal mart, then got to the dollar store and but the dollare frames, if you do this soon they still have quite a collection. I love to rec. framed pictures of people I hold dear.

This is a good one too....you know, I could combine some of these ideas too...might make a nice basket! Thanks ReneeAnn...and all of you!!

warm hugs again...from Morus in the frigid northeast....brrrrr... ;)

My hubby and I purchase bears for TOys for Tots, buy bright, red ribbon and make big bows for the bears. Before we take them to a local bank for delivery, hubby takes a picture of the bears with my face hidden in the group... ususally we have anywhere between 40 and 100 bears for distribution.
Hubby downloads a picture and sends it to the kids in the family.
They get a kick out of counting the bears and making fun of me.

My kids and I bake cookies and put them in baskets (from the $1.00 store) and give them out. The kids have so much fun doing it and I know that everyone loves the homemade cookies.

Another idea is trading tasks, if your handwriting is nice maybe you could address all of someones Christmas cards for them and they could make a simple craft for you, such as crocheted towels. Maybe agree to wrap their gifts in exchange for a handcrafted item. You get the idea.

task trading would be great with some of my craftier girlfriends!!

Thanks for that idea!!!

hugs!

morus

Baked goods are always good! :) Another idea for the jars is to make spiced nuts. You could buy them in bulk, along with the spices. You could also make your own Peppermint Foot Scrub:

Peppermint foot scrub with Lavender
Source: http://www.makeyourcosmetics.com

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sea salt
1/4 cup sweet almond oil or grapeseed oil
2 drops peppermint essential oil
3 drops lavender essential oil

Directions:
Combine the sea salt and almond (or grapeseed) oil and stir well to mix. If the mixture seems dry and does not hold well together in your hands, add oil by the tablespoon until you can scoop it comfortably. Add the essential oils last and stir well.

Rub Peppermint Lavender Foot Glow Scrub vigorously all over your feet and ankles. Pay special attention to your heels and the soles of your feet so they are thoroughly exfoliated. Rinse well with warm water and follow with a rich lotion or cream. Sleep in socks so the moisturizer is absorbed well into your skin. Do you sew? If so, you could buy some cheaper, holiday material and make a few "gift bags" as a separate gift or as a bag for the foot scrub. Add a nail brush, callouse brush and some pretty nail polish.

Expanding on the jar idea, you can make jars with the ingredients for lots of things, bean soup, brownies, cookies, breads, all sorts of things. You just layer the ingredients in the jar, tie the recipe on with a bit of ribbon (no extra gift tag needed), and it's ready! Everyone loves these, and they aren't very expensive. There are lots of recipes for these on line..I'll see if I can find a good site for you. Hugs

WOW! AM I GLAD that I posted this!?! These ideas are AMAZING!!

Thanks friends!

Morus

OK, I typed 'recipes for gift jars' in the search bar, and lots of sites came up..you should find loads of recipes, and helpful hints. By the way, these are pretty!