Christmas gift ideas

I'm trying to start early this year, so I am already racking my brains for Christmas gift ideas. PT community to the rescue?

Here are a couple of ideas I had that you may be interested in:

1. Having a jigsaw puzzle made from a photo of a beloved pet for my daughter.
2. Transferring all those old DAT tapes onto DVD's for us to watch on Christmas day.
3. Everyone gets new toothbrushes in their stockings in amongst the treats.
4. Buy mismatched china from a second hand store to hold the cookies and treats we give to neighbors and friends.

I'll add more later. Got any ideas to share?

Mon. Nov 5, 7:50pm

Last year I made a freezer full of all kinds of rumballs, and gave them out in christmas tins as gifts. People loved them! I made kid-safe ones, too :)

Monday, November 5, 2007, 8:38 PM

what are rumballs?

Monday, November 5, 2007, 9:02 PM

I love the mismatched china idea!

1. Have the kids' art changed into quilt blocks and make a quilt

Monday, November 5, 2007, 9:10 PM

I am boycotting Christmas, I was sickened to walk into Walmart the day after Halloween to see it fully decorated and hearing christmas music! They are ruining Christmas! It is two months away, what happened to Thanksgiving? The holiday should not be about buying, buying, buying!

Monday, November 5, 2007, 9:10 PM

I'm sorry you feel that way 9:10 pm

I personally started October 15 this year with my christmas planning. My goal is to be done with the shopping and decorating and stressing on December 1st so that I can sit back and relax and enjoy the holidays. Some of us are in the spirit already and it will make my Thanksgiving all that more enjoyable as well.

Monday, November 5, 2007, 9:18 PM

I have knitted scarves for everyone. I also make bourbon balls and pack them in decorative tins (similar to rum balls...gooey rich sort-of cookie-dough dessert that are rolled in sugar..nothing healthy about it). I take pictures throughout the year and frame them for gifts. I also like magazine subscriptions (a friend wanted to go to a spa for her 50th birthday last year..got her a subscription to Spa and Leisure magazine). Burning discs for music lovers or gift cards to Itunes or Napster. I go to all the arts and craft fairs during the summer and find cute jewelry. Nothing from a mall or superstore. Lots of stuff you can make or collect throughout the year.

Monday, November 5, 2007, 9:28 PM

Great ideas everyone! I **LOVE** the rumball idea!!! I'm going to to google some recipes now!

I like to give creative unusual gifts also...but I've been really slacking these past two years. Great thread!

Monday, November 5, 2007, 9:56 PM

For the grandparents, we make a photo calender of the grandkids. My dad said it's the best gift he has ever been given. They are about $20 at Staples.

Monday, November 5, 2007, 10:03 PM

Christmas Ideas..

Well, we always get scratch off lottery tickets to put into our kids stockings, although they are not old enough to cash them in, they like to scratch them off...

I also like to put together baskets for my dear friends.... Like I once got a Heated Lotion Dispenser, added pedicure stuff, nail polish, foot file, foot soak...

Or a Movie Basket, Popcorn, Favorite Candy, Favorite Soda, Blockbuster Card...

Just thinking out of the box....

Monday, November 5, 2007, 10:04 PM

Give a gift that contributes to the world - go to Kiva.com and buy gift certificates that provide small business loans ($25) to people around the world. You can pick out a business (just as a suggestion) that matches the personality of the recipient and then the recipient can choose to either take the money when the loan is repayed or they make another loan to another business.

A cute 'food' gift is to go to Michael's (or similar store, duh) and buy melting chocolate that comes in different colors, some holiday themed sprinkles, and pretzel rods. Melt the chocolate, coat with sprinkles, put in celophane bags with some cute ribbon - they look like a gourmet treat! And they're SO good! I did some for Valentine's Day - pink chocolate, sprinkles with pink and red hearts, pink sugar - adorable. And , I was just at Target and saw some really cute sprinkles that were in the shape of candy canes, ginger bread men, and christmas trees.

For the letter writer - get personalized stamps from Photostamp.com with a favorite/relevant photo and put it with some pretty stationary.

A gift certificate to try something new - a yoga class, rock climbing, a cooking class, wine tasting, etc.

Okay, that's all I've got! I hate the commericalism of the holidays, but I sure like buying gifts for other people :)

Monday, November 5, 2007, 10:19 PM

I ignore the commercialism and just enjoy the fun.

I'm painting a set of dishes for my mom at one of those ceramic studios. I did the same thing last year for my sister. It's a bit pricey but since I did one every couple of months and got some entertainment value out of it myself, it doesn't seem that bad. It's a treat to me to go paint for a couple of hours!

My gift-giving is such that I didn't know until about three years ago that there was a spending limit in my family of origin. They didn't tell me because I make all my gifts. They are not so foolish as to think making gifts is cheap, but they didn't want to curb my creativity with a spending limit, or something. Whatever, LOL...

I think even better than the calendar is to make one of the hardbound books. There are quite a few sites where you can upload your own pics and text, lay out your own pages (or use their templates), and they will return you a hardbound book. Some are as little as $15 or so, bound with a linen cover. I love that idea.

I love the idea of consumables--things that people can enjoy but won't have to dust for the rest of their lives. Flavored butters are easy--just soften the butter and work rosemary or chives into it and then pack it into a tiny jar (half-pint jam jars from the canning section work well). Some home-baked bread goes well with this.

One year I collected family stories from my siblings and parents and put together a family history book. A while ago I started interviews with a close friend's elderly mother--I wanted to present my friend with her mother's history. We weren't able to finish and I'm singing at her funeral tomorrow, but I do have a tape recording of some of the interviews I did which I'm going to give to my friend.

My kids and I want to put together a half-hour old-time radio show for the grandparents, something like the ones they listened to as children--radio scripts, commercials, and all, with sound effects.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007, 1:06 AM

I have to get started early since I make most of my gifts.
For the youngsters and those who used to be and refuse to grow up I make stockings in different shapes every year. Out of felt. Like a snowman, gingerbread house, football, toy soldier, angel, ornament, tree, and this year for the youngest I am doing Dora and Diego and Barney. Just got the patterns finished yesterday.
I like to paint, One stroke painting on ornaments, candles, place mats, coffee cups.... Takes a bit of practice but really fun, Just be sure and use her brushes. It makes a difference.
Last year I made beaded bracelets for all the females.
I was thinking of doing napkins and napkin rings out of beads this year, Not sure yet though.
I used to make and ornament every year, the same one for everyone and put it on the front of a card and that would be the Christmas card. For those that were hand delivered. Too expensive to send otherwise.
I would sew pillows a lot. Buy a panel of Christmas fabric or a length of it and you can put ruffles around it with fabric or a simple seam. Easy and fun.
I have made sets of handmade cards and given them as gifts.
Sewed doll clothes for the girls
As for goodies. Oh my
Pistachio bread
Pumpkin roll
I love this one it is so easy. Buy a tin of butter cookies and dip them half way in chocolate. Easy.
chocolate covered pretzels I always cover it in one color and drizzle another color over it. Use almond bark it is pretty cheap.
Can't think of one healthy treat. Isn't that sad.
Hey apples and mandarin oranges for the person watching their calories.

That's about all I can rack my brain for right now maybe I will think of more later

Tuesday, November 6, 2007, 1:14 AM

Subscription to wine-of-the-month club
gift certificate to nice restaurant
custom-designed golf balls (submitting personally-designed logo)

That covers the 'rents and in-laws. Still thinking about others. Got a nice bottle of wine for my boss, a type she mentioned that she couldn't find here but started drinking when she was in Paris last fall.

My sister asked for DVDs (my mom is getting her a DVD player). Where do you buy DVDs? I'd rather get her a gift certificate so she can pick them out herself. I always rent or buy used.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007, 10:48 AM

10:48 You could consider getting your sister a subscription to netflix. :)

Tuesday, November 6, 2007, 11:44 AM

11:44am - thanks! Good idea, 'cept I don't want to pay for it all year, and I don't think she'd want to take over the payments either!

I'm thinking Blockbuster gift card now, b/c she can use that for rentals, or to shop at their new online "outlet."

I appreciate your response though!!

Tuesday, November 6, 2007, 2:56 PM

DVD's and such from BestBuy. My sister in law loves a gift card from there

Tuesday, November 6, 2007, 3:18 PM

I made Snowman soup last year and everyone loved the idea. You can find it at:
http://www.craftsayings.com/projects/seasonal/winter/snowman_soup/index.shtml

Tuesday, November 6, 2007, 3:33 PM

FYI for the DVD-NetFlix person...you don't have to buy a whole year. My roommate got one for 3 or 4 months.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007, 3:42 PM

I like to take the person's practical request and make it fun.

Example: my sister wanted ski gloves (borrrrrring), so I gave her the expensive, high-tech gloves on a bed of tissue paper in a wrapped shoebox and filled the empty space with a bunch of those little handwarmer packets, a pair of glove liners, some really good hand moisturizer/repair cream from The Body Shop, and inexpensive sexy satin evening gloves for "apres ski".

Tuesday, November 6, 2007, 3:53 PM

These are some great ideas!

Wednesday, November 7, 2007, 12:09 PM

They are called Heelies here, wheel shoes.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007, 7:45 PM

OP here. I love all these ideas!

Dh is a gadget guy and I'm thinking about getting a satellite radio for him, but I know nothing about them. Anyone own one or have comments?

Thursday, November 8, 2007, 10:56 AM

Looking for more craft-type ideas for gifts to give to neighbors. Something like the plate of homemade cookies, or the snowman soup that someone else suggested. Any more of those suggestions???

Friday, November 9, 2007, 11:01 AM

Infused Vodka

I'm giving a couple of my friends infused vodka this year. Never added a link before, hope this works. It's a site that gives you instructions on how and what to infuse.

Link

Saturday, November 10, 2007, 9:58 PM

home made goods

Biscotti is easy to make and can be given with a pound of great coffee.

Sunday, November 11, 2007, 8:50 PM

Not Crafty but Good

I have some favorite Christmas presents to share. Not crafty at all, but maybe someone out there will appreciate the ideas.

Both my teenage kids (and me actually) are getting new ipod headphones. These ones have a silicone fitting on them so they feel better in your ear, and the sound quality is awesome (by Bose). I am also giving everyone these GUM brand rubbery toothpicks. They clean between your teeth like flossing and it's much less awkward. Getting new memory cards for cameras (they always have to stop and delete before they can take more pictures), new mittens and socks, books and coffee shop gift certs for friends, and magazine subscriptions.

Sunday, November 18, 2007, 10:47 AM

I live in Ohio. We like to make Buckeyes and put them into a decorative tin. Not healthy at all, but people love them and they make a great gift.

Sunday, November 18, 2007, 2:41 PM

I have Xm radio in my car and love it. You can get the sets pretty cheap (I think 50 and up depending on the model you have) and they are easy to install. Also I pay $12.95 a month or something similiar. I love it because I do a lot of driving.

Monday, November 19, 2007, 1:55 PM

Buckets of popcorn are great and cheap- but special- for the younger folk or those not dieting

Monday, November 19, 2007, 2:22 PM

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