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?

What matters to me is in my heart.

Totally get where you’re coming from about not wanting loads of toys for various reasons (no storage, them not being spoilt, the environment).

Firstly, everyone loves a biccy so that’s lovely.

If you really want to keep the foot print idea, I wouldn’t do a reindeer theme as it makes it a Christmas decoration I would argue. Your little one will bring plenty of stuff like that home over the years in school. 😁 My mum is a super stylish granny with an eye for gorgeous interior design. I can’t imagine her displaying it all year round (I’d be stunned!), although she adores my little one and is sentimental. If you’re only doing two (I’d avoid aunts and uncles!), I would do just one footprint in black on a textured handmade paper in cream. Etsy has some lovely ones. Then I’d frame it in a thick white mount and thin silver frame. It’ll cost little (paint, paper and two smallish square frames with mounts in already from Amazon or TKMaxx is great for reasonable and quality frames) but look like you’ve got it from Not on The High Street or something. Then they can decide whether to display or keep as a keepsake in a drawer as it won’t be too big as it’s just one footprint, not two.

Have a lovely first Christmas!

Homemade stuff is fine if it’s actually useful and something the recipient would actually like and use…….otherwise it just becomes another piece of thoughtless tat.

People like to show how tough and unsentimental they are on aibu!

You know your parents/in laws and are best placed to judge whether they’d like the little footprint. Sounds like your daughter’s grandparents would love it!

I’d love the shortbread, if it was someone I knew was a good baker, and someone I knew had a nice clean house that didn’t have five cats lounging about on the kitchen worktops.

How about a candle with a hand print on it and tell them to use it and think of DD.

Buy cheap candles from IKEA and use acrylic paint.

Yeah, you're right, I'm tough and unsentimental. (Did you read my response?)

But I really love my five cats!

Opinion seems split on the handprint/footprint idea! My cousin made all of the family Christmas cards with her babys footprints on one year (I think she added reindeer or snowmen facial features?) and I thought that was a nice idea - the more sentimental members of the family kept the cards, others could just appreciate the cuteness over Christmas but then didn't feel obliged to keep it on display afterwards.

Agree with the poster who suggested recycling glass jars to put your shortbread in (or fudge!) Rather than spending on tins

why not use a photo of DC as your christmas card?

I often gift jars of cranberry sauce at christmas time - super easy to make, I normally find the packs in supermarket make way too much, even for me (it's amazing on porridge) and rarely have any freezer space.

I think that's lovely
I also think DGP's would be pleased with the handprints or you could send a nice photo of her perhaps

I am making handmade gifts this year for Christmas (blankets and hot water bottle covers) 😊 I am trying to make things they would find useful.

I really like the biscuits idea, especially if you get some nice tins to put them in (who doesn't love a good tin). As an aunt I can't say I would appreciate the footprint canvas. DD first Christmas is a big thing for you but not so much everyone else. I do love the cards and pictures my neices and nephews give me now they are a bit older. Maybe something for the grandparents though.

Big no to the handprint but shortbread would be okay if I know your kitchen is clean

Or just honest like you can't be in real life? I binned stuff like that from when my own children were little and I'd definitely bin it from someone else's or if I got homemade food. I'd never tell anyone in real life but I can be honest here.

My kitchen is most definitely clean, I'm actually diagnosed OCD and clean obsessively which isn't good for me but good for other people when it comes to things like this!

Handmade gifts are nice, but I wouldn't do the footprint thing, as others said, it's something that matters to you, not others. You can make a printable family calendar or use a Christmas collage maker and print out and frame photo collages that would include photos of your DD, but something that comes from her wouldn't be a great idea.