Do-It-Yourself Holiday Gift Baskets

 

Do you like to give gifts, but find 'store-bought' ones a little too impersonal? Is there someone you want to pay special attention to this year? Do you want your gifts to come from the whole family? If so, then perhaps the best way to do all three of these things is to make up gift baskets. After all, who doesn't like a gift that's been made especially for them? How much things cost is all up to you, but I can bet that they probably won't be half as expensive as the gift baskets you can find on Amazon! Plus they will be hand-made and your kids can help put it all together. If this sounds good to you, here are some suggestions.

-Make a basket of homemade jams and jellies. Here in the South, this is a very common thing and always appreciated. My sister-in-law did that for us one year; that was the best apple butter ever, and we still use the Mason jars for glasses! In a way, that was a gift that 'kept on giving'!

-If you've got a movie buff, fill a basket with popcorn, popcorn salt, various snacks and junk food, drinks and a gift card for Redbox or Amazon movie rentals. If there's a particular movie they love or wanted to see, you can usually get it at Best Buy or Target for a reasonable price. Some of them even have 'double features', so your Denzel fan can enjoy both Training Day and John Q without having to change the disc. They'll enjoy that!

You could also include a boxed set of DVDs for their favorite TV show; I still use the three seasons of Family Guy my husband got me years ago. For even more fun, give it in a container that looks like a popcorn bucket!

-For the bookworm in your life, make up a basket with a book light, hot chocolate/coffee, a really nice mug, their favorite book and some nice cookies or biscotti. If you're not sure what they like or already have, you could give them a gift card to Barnes and Noble. If you can find one at a good price, there's also the option of including a Kindle or Nook reader. A lot of smartphones and iPods out now have a Kindle app that can download books directly from Amazon, so a gift card to them or another site could also work.

-For the bath/beauty lover, line the basket with a nice, fluffy towel and include things like bath salts, cubes, facial scrubs, pumice stones, 'poufs', lotions and shower gels. One year I got one that also included a small rack I could hang from the shower nozzle so I had everything within my reach. Things like bath pillows and hair-drying towels are good too. You can get pretty much all of these items at Target or Walmart, as well as the specialty shops like Sephora and Bath and Body Works. That last one is one of my all-time favorite stores, and they sell baskets like this for a lot more than you might spend if you make it yourself. If you're not sure of the scents, a gift card will work in lieu of the gels or lotions.

If you want to go even further with personalization, there are ways to make your own bath salts. Instructions can be found here-http://www.womansresource.com/2011/01/how-to-make-your-own-bath-salts.html.

That's all I have for now, but you get the idea. Perhaps I've inspired you to make your own? Either way, have fun! Happy holidays!