Help - we need to home make Christmas this year

[dot1]

Arrgghhhh... Found out today I haven't got the backpay I was expecting, so we're seriously poor this Christmas. We're prioritising buying stuff for ds's, but need ideas for creating presents for our parents, family etc (poor them!). So far I've thought about knitting scarves for parents and maybe bobble hats..! Possibly making some truffles/chocolate things and putting in boxes.

Has anyone got any ideas of things I can make relatively cheaply - patterns/recipes would also be good!

We've got a couple of lightsabres on ebay ending tomorrow, they were bought for DS from canada but he already has them. One's just a Starwars green lightsabre and the other is the starwars anakin/vader lightsabre, both new. Might be worth keeping an eye on though.
HERE

Get the kids to do some pretty drawings/painting/other artwork & frame those (with dates).

How old are the ds's? I made fab photo frames with funky foam with the Rainbows this year, vaery easy indeed, and managed to turn out 100 frames (1 each) very happily with no mishaps. Just gave bags of cheap beads, glitter (I used a glue with a nib, Anitas Tacky Glue to write the names and the kids added glitter, though glitter glue tubes would do it too).

Apples covered in chocolate with green icing 'holly' leaves and cranberries (the sweet, dried ones- have you ever tasted the fresh ones uncooked?) so they look like christmas puds, then given a stick like toffee aplles? I'm doing those for the kids' stckings.

Homa made cranberry sauce is a nice small gift to give people you see beforehand like colleagues and teachers.

Of course it doesn't matter if the kids can draw with craft stuff! That's the point really.

I know it's hard doing the budget Christmas, we're on a low-ish income and we have one ds birthday December and one January so it always hits us too. But I think making all the presents is great for the kids and they learn a lot about Christmas and love and giving.

If you've any kids to buy for BTW apart from your own (although I got this for my older 2 to fill up the post- Christmas days) Yellow Moon (a branch of Baker Ross, they have a website) sells a paint your own umbrella kit for a fiver.

dot1, Dianey store have lightsaber type things, they look like a lightsaber, and are long like one, but they have Buzz Lightyear or Incredibles on, you said he likes Buzz? They are about £5/£6. Just a thought. Also our local cancer Reasearch shop has some lovely gift boxes, ceramice pots etc for under a £5, don't know if there's one near you.

check out Yellow Moon website (my favourite online craft catalogue). they have lots of cheap crafty items you can make. my dds have spent a very happy morning making photo keyrings, photo fridge magnets, little sparkly boxes. another day we plan to make fudge, biscuits etc to put into the sparkly boxes.

for the boys check out the charity shops you can get plenty of good-as-new presents for a fraction of the price.

Not read whole thread, so sorry if I'm repeating - but have you got a good collection of jam jars? I got all mine one year and a set of glass paints and a liner (about £7-8 in all), and painted designs on the jars. I drew the designs on paper first, then blu-tacked them inside the jar, so I just copied it then. I put tealights in the smaller jars, and the bigger ones were for vases. Then wrapped them in bubble wrap before wrapping in Christmas paper - looked really good and were well-received.