Christmas is coming and I was reminded by someone of things I used to do and should do again for Christmas gifts. I used to bake sweet breads, make candy and various cooking mixes, carve scented soaps and sew various projects for people. I don't hear about that too often anymore.
There really are people who remember how to sew, and at least quilting and yarn crafts are still popular. If one starts early enough with a yarn project then they make good gifts. I used to make plastic canvas projects with yarn and plastic canvas, which is like Aida cloth for needle crafts only, obviously, out of plastic. I do cross stitch also and people really liked that.
Once I carved scented and colored soaps into small roses for jars and baskets. Decorative soaps are not generally used as soap, but for decorations, so using inexpensive soaps as I used to be able to get in bags of six for a dollar, won't hurt a thing. I placed them in interesting jars I had either bought with other products I had used or found really cheap at a yard sale. Now of course one can find those pretty jars at a discount store and depending on the recipient someone may appreciate it.
In later years as people got more materialistic homemade gifts were less appreciated until I started making stuffed animals for the children. They love stuffed animals. With today's economy however, people are getting back into the homemade gift. It is no longer practical even though television would like everyone to think there is money flowing freely to spend hundreds of dollars on every gift. It makes my hackles rise to see the advertisers tell us we have plenty of money when people are living on unemployment, if they even have that, so buy, buy, buy. Why make your gifts?
If one has access to the internet, they can find practically unlimited resources for homemade gifts. Sites such as ehow.com, Marthastewartliving.com, and Budget101.com can be great for helping you get ideas and tell you how to make the projects. There are many more just for the exploration, so look, and you don't have to go broke to do these projects; you just have to spend some time thinking about what someone would like and make it.
Not talented in those areas? Try a church bizarre, a craft show, or even a flea market (sometimes crafters sell there). Thrift stores often have inexpensive handmade items also and the products are made here in the USA!
If you can operate a computer and have a printer, you can print simple or fancy decorated gift certificates for services you provide, such as babysitting, yard service at a future date, dog walking, etc. Be creative. (This one is good for other events also, such as anniversaries, birthdays, and St. Valentine's Day.)
Good luck and remember the reason for the season (these ideas also work for gifts of the other holidays celebrated during this season of giving - Hanukkah and Kwanzaa using traditional gifts of course respective to those holidays.)
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