21 Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas. Some Keep On Giving

Some of these are pretty common gift ideas but I assure you there are some juicy little surprises in here that you probably haven’t considered. And yes, some of these aren’t for “everyone”. Some people I know would be delighted and feel understood if someone gave them a jar of beet kvass or kefir grains, while others would probably avoid any future encounters with the gifter.

Christmas Treasures Abound

1. Home sewn item such as a beautiful apron. I’ve envisioned making a 20’s style apron; red with tiny white polka dots and teal trim…sighing with a smile.
2. Warm drink mixes in a jar: hot chocolate, white chocolate, herbal coffee hot chocolate, mint chocolate, cinnamon chocolate. Adding some collagen to the mix is a nice way to provide some redeeming, gut healing protein to this nostalgic treat.
3. Extracts: vanilla, cinnamon, mint etc. And no worries if you didn’t start the process in June! Did you know it can be made quickly in a pressure cooker? Alcohol-free glycerin based options!
4. Dried seasoning mixes: pumpkin pie spice, Cajun, taco, chili seasoning, ranch dressing.
5. Your best salsa + tortilla chips.
6. Beef jerky or pemmican: I don’t know about you, but I sure appreciate a convenient protein snack that’s rich in fat to stabilize my blood sugar during the holiday season. For me, it’s the best prevention for overindulging on sweets.
7. Beet kvass. Yep, only certain friends…
8. Starter cultures: milk or water kefir grains, kombucha SCOBY, cheese cultures (if you have a freeze dryer you can even perpetuate and freeze dry these. If you don’t have a freeze dryer some people even just perpetuate & freeze in cubes, replenishing often. That will be a future blog post!)
9. Soap. I envision a jar full of star-shaped soaps.
10. Lip balm.
11. Tooth powder…
12. Deodorant. Um…ok yeah 10 & 11 might only be appropriate as gag stocking stuffers for a kid. Hey, I always got socks and underwear (and ironically an orange) in my stockings.
13. Bouquet of flowers from your garden.
14. Scrub: salt, sugar, or coffee grounds + oil such as olive, jojoba, avocado etc.  So simple!
15. Dried herbs. A close friend gifted me a quart of dried dill and it has been a hit in our home!
16. Seeds to plant in spring.
17. Live plant. Have you seen those rosemary tabletop “Christmas trees” that are so popular? I can smell it now.
18. Homemade jewelry. This one is fun for giving kids something to gift to others. My daughter has made some of my favorite pieces! We source lead and cadmium free kits or parts so we can rest easy knowing that we’re not creating potential health problems for someone.
19. Recipe card + DINNER: Have a dinner recipe that people rave about? Let someone know that they can take it easy tonight and you’ll be providing dinner for their family! Since I don’t like to cook in aluminum foil, I like to give soup or stew in a big half-gallon mason jar or two that they can keep.
20. Honey! If you are lucky enough to raise bees, there’s no cooler way to say, “I made something for you” in my opinion.
21. And of course…produce from your garden! It will come as no surprise that we give a LOT of oranges to loved ones around Christmas time. And marmalade!

I just realized most of these gifts can be presented in a mason jar…sweet!

For more gift ideas and some Christmas wisdom, check out How To Keep Lead Out Of Your Christmas.

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Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2017 Elizabeth Jaconelli

Acknowledgements: I made picture using getstencil.com's photo