Homemade Xmas presents

[adrenalinejunkie]

This Xmas me and my dh have no money for presents at all , I know it's not all about giving but our families have been so amazing would love to give a little something . I said to my
dh I could make presents he thinks we should not bother at all , icant face arriving empty handed and would love to at least
make bake something nice aibu ? I would really appreciate any ideas you may have I'm at bit of a loss at the minute

Lots of ideas in the Christmas topic, we've been debating this and suggesting ideas for months like the saddoes we are .
Come on over.

YANBU at all.

Chocolate-dipped shortbread is nice (make shortbread biscuits in shapes such as stars and dip them in melted chocolate so half of the biscuit is chocolate-covered while the other half is plain)

In a similar situation a few years ago my mum made shortbread and put in it some really nice biscuit tins and jars from a pound shop. Went down really well, especially as it keeps for ages.

get some photo frames from poundland and takes some nice pics done off the children get some printed from tesco 9p a print.

£1.09 per gift

oh that shortbread is a great idea, i'm 'aving that.

that post makes no sense.

get some photo frames from poundland, take some nice pics of the children then get some printed from tesco 9p a print

I'd make some shortbread or fudge. In fact, make me some fudge, I'd be well happy!

I'd make some shortbread or fudge. In fact, make me some fudge, I'd be well happy!

also agree that photos of kids go down well.

YANBU

I make almost all the presents I give people, whether it is christmas, birthdays, new baby, whatever.

And I buy DS's toys from charity shops.

Homemade chutney, jam and pickled onions go down well. Lavender bags and pin cushions too. Rellies like biscuits, homemade bread or cakes.

I don't make edible presents though, I sew stuff.

Rocky road always goes down well, and its easy to make, I like Nigella's recipe:

yummy!

Cut into squares and pop in celophane bags or airtight jars and stick a ribbon round.

I think it is lovely to make pressies - in very lean years I have done the same and the thing is people always love it!

I am not a great cook or very crafty but there are some really simple things that you could do in big batches and parcel them up for lots of different people - like biscuits in xmas shapes (get a cheap cutter from Poundland or on ebay) and then iced. Muffins in a christmas flavour are super easy too (great mini muffin cases in poundland too).

For my young nieces one year I bought some very cheap (plastic not glass) mirrors (from a pound shop or ikea - can't remember now) and covered the frames in different fun furs - dead easy to do and even if pretty kitsch by adult standards, they loved them and still have them.

thanks for your suggestions , i am going to get a lovely pic of my ds done and some wedding pics frame them and give them to parents and in laws they are always saying they have no pics of ds.
For the rest im going to go with the choc shortbread and rocky road . My dh and i are off to poundland tommorow to pic up some frames and tins. Thank you all so much i feel a lot better .

...and if anyone does what my dad did the year that I made him a mini hamper of pickle and stuff (wasn't cheap, either in time or cash, at the end- I got a bit carried away!) where he phoned me up and said

"What are you trying to do, poison me?"

just go to Lakeland in the post-Christmas sales and get him a Grumpy Old Man mug for the following year.

chocolate truffles would be good too. I think that Nigella has a recipe for chocolate pudding ones (using bits of Christmas pudding). I've given pretty jars of homemade onion relish in the past (that's so incredibly cheap to make onions + sugar + thyme + balsamic vinegar).

I do homemade presents for my multitude of cousins every year. Last year I made marmalade, it was surprisingly cheap and easy to do. This year I'm doing fudge and stem ginger biscuits. Or lebkuchen. I haven't decided yet.

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I think homemade pressies are a great idea. im not a fan of photos of the dc's though - dh & I were child-free & ttc for over 10 years, and every year we got photos of people's kids in a frame for xmas! Friend's kids, brothers & sisters kids & even cousin's kids. 2 years ago (just before people knew I was finally pg) we got 6 framed photos of people's kids. What am I supposed to do with all those? Haha. I look back now and have no idea which child is which on some of the earlier ones.

Although - it might be payback year this year. I might even send photos of the dog!

Go with the shortbread or fudge - lovely idea that shows you've been thinking and have spent some time on the present

There was a recipe for cranberry and white choc fudge in with my tesco vouchers this morning, if you`d like it I can post it in here later, it looks quick and easy, and the cranberries make it Christmassy

Can't you go sdhoplifting? No-one wants someone else's Blue Peter project as a gift.

If you can knit, a wooden coathanger with knitted cover and bow tied round it is nice - just a long piece of knitting that you sew together like this
4.bp.blogspot.com/_TIAC-9UOhCU/SYG9bihi7UI/AAAAAAAAAC8/ULZcN_ACFkA/s1600-h/KICX1134.JPG

Another one that's easy to do is a knitted ipod cover - again just a long piece of knitting,sew up the sides and add a drawstring!

Home made pesto is easy, and a nice gift.

Macarons are easier than they look, and with a bit of food colouring and edible sparkle are a gorgeous gift.

If you are skint you might not want to buy, but see if you can borrow from the library a book called Homemade by Ros Badger - it has loads of ideas.

Bupcakes I can't shoplift I have a guilty face even when I have done nothing.I will have to get busy with the sticky back plastic . Kelly2525 that sounds lovely I would love the recipe thanks.

Good for you. Your home-made gifts will be so much more appreciated than one of those god awful supermarket-bought afterthought-style shower radio/clock/torch monstrosities which I'm sure thousands will be receiving yet again this year