It’s the middle of December and you find yourself with a gift-giving list full of friends and family members who already have everything. You’re dreading the gift-search because you can never find the right thing—the perfect combination of unique, personal, and thoughtful for each individual. You always wish you were crafty, and had the time, skill, and creativity to make things, but every year it’s the same old story.
Here are six gift ideas that are designed to help you do things differently this year, and have fun in the process. Easy to make, even for people who are not regular artists and crafters, these gifts have that thoughtful, handmade, and personalized feeling, but don't require months of preparation.
1. For someone with a sweet tooth: Assemble a basket with all of the fixings for ice cream sundaes: hot fudge sauce, butterscotch sauce, candied nuts, a special ice cream bowl and spoon, sprinkles, and a coupon to a local ice cream store. (For the ambitious cooks among us, you could even make the sauces and nuts yourself!). Nab a unique bowl or a classy goblet from your local thrift store or housewares shop. Variation: you can create a similar gift for anyone with a particularly favorite food or drink—a collection of cereals, different snack foods, cheeses and crackers, or coffees and teas.
2. For the pet lover: Create a “day in the life of a pet book.” Spend the day or afternoon with a beloved pet, snapping pictures every couple of hours to document the way that pet spends time. Find a cute little journal or book, and grab some photo corners and glue from your local art supply store. Write or type up funny captions to accompany each picture, like “Sadie awaits her kibbles with lady-like elegance.” Assemble your book for a really unique and fun keepsake. Don’t worry if you have five pictures in a row of the dog sleeping—that’s part of the fun of it!
3. For someone you truly love and appreciate: Write a letter telling this special person (mom, dad, sibling, spouse, partner, best friend) what they mean to you. We often only think of objects and money as “good gifts,” but in truth, the holiday season and the essence of gift-giving is about telling the people we love that they’re important to you. A letter is one of the best ways to really record this in a personal and intimate way, and it will become a special keepsake for years to come. Give yourself time and space to think about what you would like to include in your letter. It need not be sappy---tell stories about times you’ve spent together or moments when you’ve appreciated who he or she is. Here are some places to start:
