To make homemade gifts for Christmas this year?

[elm26]

First Christmas with DD, we are also moving house in January and need to buy a bigger car.

We have told all of the adults in the family to not buy us anything, if they would like to buy something for our little one that would be really kind but also don't feel they have to, she'll be 7 months and won't understand it anyway! I've made it clear I don't want lots of toys etc she's too young and we just don't have the room for it right now.

I would like to gift something to our parents/DD's grandparents and aunts and uncles so I was thinking of doing homemade Christmas tree shaped shortbread in a nice tin for each couple plus something made by DD, have seen the little canvas's people do with their footprints being reindeer antlers then paint the face and I'll write "DD's first Christmas" on it or something similar to this? Is this really naff or would you appreciate these?

I think a personalised xmas tree decoration of some sort would be lovely.

I think your gifts sound lovely @elm26

I made these Ottolenghi nuts and put them in cheap clip jars for gifts last year. They were universally loved and I've already had requests for more this Christmas. Super easy to make, but you need to find a relatively cheap source of the nuts if you're on a budget. I used caraway instead of nigella seeds

https://ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/spicy-nuts

Unless people are really good bakers/chutney makers I'd rather not have something home made. Especially at Christmas, there's so much of it, it's not going to be special or a treat. I love getting together with family/friends, that is the real present for me.
I'm not a dgp yet but I'd love a small momento of my dgc.

I can only speak for my family. Grandparents would love a sentimental gift from grandchild, my mum goes crazy for the stuff, but aunts and uncles not really.

Shortbreads sounds like a lovely idea.

As an aunt, I think footprints and/or shortbread biscuits are a lovely idea. I'd stick to making the same gift for everyone rather than doing e.g. sweets, biscuits and chutneys as it's easier to plan ingredients, equipment and the time you will need.

Homemade gifts are lovely as long as they're done with the recipient in mind.

Eg Don't make huge batches of rhubarb gin or candles or something else crafty and then give it to everyone.

If you know grandparents will find the child craft cute then do it and it will be a lovely sentimental gift. Select a craft to match the grandparents eg some might like a tree ornament, others might prefer a nice photo.

Wouldn't appeal to me at all.
A nice framed photo and some chocolates would lol.

Personally I would like some fudge or shortbread, but I've read of many posters on MN who wouldn't touch anything home-made by someone else. I guess you know your families best.

The keepsakes / canvas things are not for me. Possibly the Grandparents ?? Again, you'd know best, but you are setting yourself up for having to do the same for future dc. As an Aunt (many times over) I really wouldn't want anything like that.

A xmas card with a footprint xmas tree will be fine. They are great to get out every year!

I would be nonplussed by the footprints but like the homemade biscuit idea.

One year I did biscotti for gifts. That works well because you can make them up to the point where they need the final baking and then freeze and subsequently bake from frozen. That means you can do most of the work well before Christmas and finish them off just before you want to give them. Also they are good for about 3 weeks in an airtight tin so there is no pressure for recipient to use them up immediately.

Actually feedback I got was that they were all eaten within a few days because they were quite scummy!

You have told the adults not to buy you anything
But you are giving them a gift. Really awkward for them

I’m not a fan of homemade gifts myself. I’m a reasonable cook and baker and enjoy making things myself.

We got the GPs ceramic photo frames with a space for a hand or foot print from a clay art place. Small enough to display without taking up lots of room.

I would love homemade presents

I wouldn’t want any homemade food gifts. If someone is struggling with money I’d genuinely prefer they didn’t buy or make anything.

Some people like homemade gifts, some don't. Some like mementos of grandchildren/nephews/nieces and some don't. I love home made gifts because I like that someone actually put some effort in. I don't really appreciate baby foot prints or mugs labeled best mum/Nan/auntie. So you need to decide what each individual would like to receive rather than what you would like to give.

As a grandmother and aunt - I would definitely NOT appreciate a canvas, hand/foot print etc. from the baby. Maybe I am a miserable grinch but I have finally got to the stage in life where I have my home decorated the way I like and I do not have a load of photos etc. around the place and certainly nothing cute like hand/foot prints. I do have some particularly nice individual photos of close family members in nice frames, but very few. When I have been given such cute gifts in the past I'm afraid they have gone straight in a drawer - I keep the latest ones for a little while in case of visits, when I would find somewhere temporary to put them, but they all get thrown out in the end except photos, which go in a box without their frames.

I would, however, appreciate a foodie handmade gift. I like food - especially the kind of things I don't buy on a regular basis - and I would appreciate the effort.

Yes I'm the same....dh has grandchildren and we would hate twee sentimental gifts. Luckily his dd wouldn't do anything like that for us...she doesn't do it for herself!
A good chutney or jam is always welcome, but nothing sweet.
I agree with someone else...you've said no gifts, yet you're giving them.

I like to get photos of my dgc.
Tbh when the dc are hard up at Christmas I don’t mind what we do or don’t get. As a parent I wouldn’t want dc to be worrying over spending on us at Christmas. Mostly I like to see the dc, that is the best gift.

My ddil usually hunts out secondhand books for me or buys me my favourite eyebrow pencil which is a £5. Ds will get dh something football related.
Dd does personal stuff so dh and I get a family photo.
I’m not keen on food gifts unless the person making them is good at baking.
However I’m the baker in our family so they wouldn’t do this for me.

My son and DIL were in a similar position last year, we told them not to buy us presents but we wanted to buy for them.

i was really surprised Christmas morning when they gave us a family photo, a friend had taken it for them, he had printed it at work (better printer) and popped it in an inexpensive frame. The girls had made a card and even the one year old had signed with a thumb print. Needles to say I will keep it forever

In the end we bought them curtains for their new house 😂😂, it’s what they needed and money was tight. The children we bought new coats and I might have just added a craft box they do love to colour etc 😁.

Things that have gone down well with my parents and in laws are photobooks of the grandkids from photobox or bonus print.

Homemade food wise have you thought about sloe gin or another type of home made liquor if they are drinkers?

I bought flat round baubles and put my son's footprint on and made it into a reindeer. With something like
"Merry Christmas, love from xx 2023" on the back.
They are on the trees every year, all the family loved them.

Just doing no gifts would be an option too. I'm sure folk will understand.

You are absolutely not unreasonable to do this and I am quite sure your parents would appreciate pretty much anything at all that you and their granddaughter gave them. I was thinking you could do the sweet footprint as a Christmas card, that way they can keep it if they choose, and frame it for example for other years, but don’t feel obliged if that makes sense?
My sister, a couple of years back, made homemade fudge for everyone, put it in lovely glass jars, you know the ones with the clip on type lids, and put a pretty bit of ribbon on them etc. I absolutely loved it, fudge was delicious but the jar was very handy too! It could also be made ahead of time much more easily than biscuits etc.

This question gets asked every year and it’s always a tricky one. I think homemade gifts are ok if they’re done right and they have the recipient in mind.
For example my MIL crochets and often does homemade gifts. She will ask what we’d like, what colours we like etc and makes individual gifts.
I think people can also be a bit funny about eating things other people have made?
Me I wouldn’t be overly joyed about short bread or a foot print. Honestly by the time youve bought paint and canvas’ and ingredients you could do a small gift. I’d rather have a bottle of £5 aldi Prosecco. But that’s me - you know you’re family