• Homemade Christmas gifts mean so much more.Christmas Gifts Background image by Charmaine Paulson from Fotolia.com
  
  Show friends how much their friendship means to you by making homemade gifts for Christmas. They will appreciate the time, effort and thought put into the gift. If the gift is for an entire family rather than an individual, make a gift basket that might include an assortment of homemade baked goods or "kits" made up with all the dry ingredients---just add liquid when ready to mix.
  
  

From the Kitchen

• Homemade goodies are always popular gifts. Make peppermint chocolate bark with semisweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and peppermint extract; chocolate cherry mice using chocolate-covered maraschino cherries with stems for the body, unwrapped chocolate kisses for the head, slivered almonds for the ears, frosting for eyes and nose and red licorice cut in thin strips for whiskers; or sesame candy using sesame seeds, honey and light brown sugar.
  
  

Decorations

• Give homemade Christmas decorations as gifts to add to friends' collection. Make a tree skirt in velvet, felt or Christmas print cotton, a pine cone topiary decorated with glitter or beads or a homemade snow globe using a jar with a tight-fitting lid, a piece of painted wood to use as a base, a waterproof Christmas figurine, distilled water with glycerin added, glitter, silicone sealant and ribbon. Alternatively, crochet a series of doily trees stiffened with starch,
  
  

Personal

• Make a personal gift of homemade bath salts with Epsom salts, food coloring, scented oil and an attractive bottle with a lid; scented candles using clean tin cans of various sizes, paraffin wax, old crayons for color, string for wicks and scented oil; or picture frames with memorable photos from past events or trips using plain frames, hot glue and something for the edges like various buttons, golf tees, jigsaw puzzle pieces or crushed aquarium sand or rocks.