Homemade Christmas gifts

[Sotellmewhatyouwant]

Ok so don't flame me - I'm not a cheapskate but trying to do Christmas cheaper than the thousands I spent last year!
So was thinking as well as small gifts, maybe making a homemade hamper with things like homemade jam,marmalade and chutney (buy some organic cheese wax wrapped to pack up with some nice crackers) and home make some flavoured spirits and maybe some shortbread/ cookies... is this totally naff for the family or does it seem ok?! I know it'll all add up but if I batch make it shouldn't be too bad?!
Sorry for talking about xmas already

I made a chutneys a few years ago that were very well received. They weren't expensive, but I didn't do the whole hamper thing: I just got some nice Kilner jars, made a huge batch, and put them in jars with a ribbon on. I also made some fudge and got some inexpensive little cellophane bags to put them in, again with a ribbon round.

I got a few extra bits and bobs for close family, but extended family just got a jar and the fudge.

We stopped doing gifts between many of us a couple of years ago and now we each choose a charity to donate to and share what we've chosen and why we chose them with each other. That's taken the pressure off a lot too!

We did this a few years ago, but everyone looked at the hampers as though it was cheap tat except grandparents who loved the cheese.
It was expensive to do and I thought they looked lovely, but it was not as appreciated as I thought it would be.
After that year we stopped buying for adults in the family apart from our parents and grandparents.

Another one here who would love that but @Ariadne is correct when she says:

Beware - some mums eaters are phobic about home made food and will bin it on receipt

I think you will know best whether the people you are giving these to are the sort who would appreciate home made or not. My sisters and I exchange home made stuff, ditto one of my SIL. But the other SIL I wouldn't ever because I know she would turn her nose up.

You need to know people really well to give them homemade gifts, especially nowadays with all these allergies and health issues. I bake for a few very close friends but only because I know they like the particular recipe.
My relatives would never be impressed with homemade hamper and small gift, they would rather prefer gift as a main part and something homemade like biscuits as in addition.

If these gifts are to be given on C-day, I'd rethink the cookies and anything else freshly baked/perishable. It's highly likely that they won't get eaten promptly.

I do think that the hampers may well end costing a small fortune though. You'll need a container and suitable embellishments, tissue paper or whatever for the base etc. Then, there's little bottles for the HM spirits and jars for the preserves. Do give the costing a great deal of thought.

It's going to be expensive!

My BiL's fudge is to die for. (Lethal for anyone trying to lose weight!)
Shall feel,cheated if I don't get any this year.

It’s a nice idea if you can afford it (the time as well as the money). You could cut costs by covering a box with Christmas wrapping paper rather than buying an actual hamper. One of those satsuma boxes from Aldi or Lidl would be about the right size.

Cheese sounds lovely. Every year I make homemade stuff for Christmas. But since it’s expensive I suggest you take your audience into account.

Lovely lovely lovely.

But expensive and veeeeeery time-consuming.

My home made gifts are getting simpler due to learnt experience/exhaustion one year I made someone a pair of boots ffs. Now I make eg an extravagant cake for a whole family. Cheap/quick/creative/loved. Win/win.

Oblique/oblique

I wouldn’t want one.
It’s just loads of crap that I won’t use.
Don’t like marmalade or chutney.
I’d already have stuff like crackers and cheese in so no need for anymore! And I’m not a cheese person.

I was given a beautiful hand made hamper from a friend I hadn't seen all year. It was very extravagant and generous and I'd rather she'd spent the time with me rather than making so many different items.

There was about 10 different hand made things and very elaborate packaging the time and cost involved would have been ridiculous. I love getting home made gifts but just one or two things in a bag or a box is fine and I love the idea of a cake.

If you've got the time then go for it. I'd love a present like this. Don't bother with expensive baskets and just put it all in a nice paper gift bag with tissue. DDs and I planted up bulbs in decorated pots one year and they went down very well. People planted them in the garden afterwards to come up again.

In all honesty, I wouldn't appreciate it and it would probably get thrown away after Christmas. I wouldn't think of it as a cheap gift, just wouldn't want it.
To be fair, I'm not a present person, and would actually prefer to receive nothing.

“Sorry but I think it sounds like a load of tat, if I want jam, I can buy my own.”

I find this attitude so odd

I make a big batch of these every year Fruity Christmas Biscotti

They are really good because you can make them ages in advance and freeze them part baked then finish them off just before you want to give them,

I have done them several times now and they do go down very well with everybody.

Sounds lovely op, a few years ago I made some 'foot spa's in a jar" coconut oil sugar scrub, intense moisturiser, some salts with essential oils and a foot file/brush thing. My grandma has asked for one every year since.

I love getting homemade stuff. Some I use, some I don't, but that goes for any gift.

As I get older, I have a growing aversion to the expensive crap we fill our homes with, that comes with packaging, plastic etc. I really appreciate something handmade and no unnecessary expense.

Certainly if a friend or relative is low on cash, I'd love to think they can save money by doing homemade gifts.

Agree with a pp though - no hampers. Unnecessary expense, twee and never actually enhance anything! I don't like fussy pelmet-y things and ribbons on jars either - much rather see a nice contemporary, clean look.

I made my sister a homemade chocolate hamper a few years ago now. I did chocolate fudge and various chocolate truffles with white choc, milk choc and dark choc and peppermint and orange oils also rolled some in coconut, some had walnut on top etc.which are all relatively easy to do but very fiddly and time consuming. She sister opened them and offered one to my mil who was there and now each bloody year my mil asks me to make her some which I grudgingly do but last year I found out she had passed them off as her own to some of her friends. I wish I had never made in first place as I don't have as much time as I did a few years ago. My dh thinks it is funny too.

My older sister is amazing at baking and makes different cookies and wraps about 8 of them in cellophane and ties with a simple red ribbon. She gives them to colleagues and friends at Christmas and they are gorgeous. Food for Christmas fayres too as an alternative to cakes.

No.
You have said "as well as small gifts".
So you are planning on giving gifts as well as hampers?
Stop.
What is your actual budget? Is it thousands really? Or fifty quid.
Do one or the other. Downscale the gift or do a hamper. Or speak to people about cutting out the gift giving.

I'm doing homemade pickles this year. The onions, beets, cabbage, eggs and vinegar, herbs and oils are really inexpensive. The jars and bottles are almost £3 each, so by the time we've finished we'll have given maybe £5 of ingredients and almost £30 of packaging per recipient. (and that's without a wicker hamper).
It is fun to do but I won't be doing it again next year.

I'd personally love and appreciate something like this from close family/friend. That being said, I would only consume the edibles from givers who I need had good hygiene standards. I wouldn't eat anything that came from.certain people such as DPs godmother whose house is fucking disgusting and worthy of one of those cleaning shows that need help to sort their house.

Not saying that's you by any chance, just obviously hygiene standards are important

Only give chutney and pickles to people who you know like them. If you're not sure, and they are close family, they probably don't.

Most of these things can be bought from the supermarket for not much more than the cost of the empty jar. HM versions are still a fab present for the right recipient (including me!) but a bit 'meh' for those who don't like chutney or are just as happy with a £1 jar.

That would be lovely, OP.