Easy Homemade Gifts to Make for Christmas

We certainly love to receive gifts but there is more joy from giving gifts. This, unfortunately, can turn into an expensive venture as our list of recipients continues to grow and the prices continue to creep higher. A fantastic way to give Christmas gifts is to make them yourself. This is not only a great cost-saving way to give, it also adds a personal touch to your gifts and is a terrific bonding activity for the whole family. Get your creative juices flowing with these great homemade Christmas gift ideas:

Box of Homemade Christmas Ornaments

This is a great gift idea for anyone as it can be personalized to suit ages and personal interests. You will need a box of plain round Christmas ball ornaments. For a sports fan family, you can paint the ornament to look like a soccer ball, a basketball, a baseball, and so on. You can also paint on personalized season greetings or names. Another idea is to put colorful beads, metallic shreds/tinsel, a feather (to represent an angel), paint (then swirl ornament around to get good coverage), or small toys inside. More ideas include placing a small photo or flower insides.

Box of International Teas (or Coffee)

This is a great way for your family and friends to experience different tastes of the world. Invest in a number of different boxes of tea from different places in the world. Many types of tea can be found at your local supermarket or mass merchandise store, for example, green tea from China, masala tea from India, black tea from Kenya, Earl grey tea from the UK, etc. For more specialized tea, you can find great deals online, especially if you buy in bulk. Then pack them in pretty plastic bags, simple baskets, or mugs. Remember to  include a card explaining the different types of tea and where they are from.

Box of Homemade Treats

Roll up your sleeves and get your hands sticky making homemade fudge, cupcakes, truffles, mini loaves of bread, brownies, candy, &/or cookies. These are fun to make, fun to decorate, and fun to eat. Get out the tried and true family recipes to use. 

Personalized Wrapping

Get creative with your wrapping too. Many options include pretty but inexpensive plates, mugs, disposable foil pans, colorful plastic wrap, and Christmas patterned Ziploc bags.

Written by Nisha Sharma from Freebies365.co.uk and Storm Litz.

100 Days of Holidays

100 Days of Holidays starts next week.  Create a holiday haven that will sparkle all season long the new 100 Days of Holidays e-mail newsletter. The FREE Better Homes and Gardens® holiday e-newsletter arrives daily starting September 24 and runs through January 1, from Halloween to New Years you’ll get an easy-to-read email filled with:

• Free pumpkin-carving stencils
• Complete Thanksgiving menus
• Stunning centerpiece ideas
• 100s of Christmas cookies
• Handmade ornaments you’ll love

12 Cookie Recipes

12 Links for Cookie Recipes

Try new recipes now while you still have lots of time so you can add new recipes you like to your holiday baking schedule.

Recipes, cookie recipe forums, and baking tips... everything you need for the most memorable Christmas cookies ever:

1. ChristmasCookies.com
2. Joy of Cooking - Christmas Cookie Recipes
3. All Recipes - Christmas Cookies
4. Moms Who Think - Christmas Cookie Recipes
5. Christmas Cookie Recipes
6. What's Cooking America - Christmas Cookie Recipes
7. Good Housekeeping - The Best Christmas Cookie Recipes
8. Northpole.com - Christmas Cookies
9. Better Recipes - Christmas Cookie Recipes
10. Kraftfoods.com - Festive Favorites
11. Food Network - Christmas Cookie Recipes
12. About.com - Cooking for Kids Christmas Cookies

What Christmas Cookie Are You?

Are you simple and sweet or decked out with all the trimmings? Take Martha Stewart quiz and find out what type of Christmas cookie you are.

I'm Molasses-Gingerbread Cookies.

Serves 48 , 48 -100 cookies


Ingredients
1 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
1 cup molasses
1/4 cup water
5 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon ginger
1 tablespoon cinnamon (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon allspice


1. Place margarine in large mixing bowl & soften it in microwave for a few seconds.
2. Cream sugar and margarine, then add molasses and water.
3. Combine all dry ingredients. Add to the mixing bowl & mix together.
4. Let dough cool, covered, in freezer for at least an hour.
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
6. Roll out dough & cut out with cookie cutters.
7. If the cookies are thin, bake for 6 minutes. If they're thick, bake for 8 minutes. They will appear slightly underbaked, but that's what makes them taste so good & chewy.
8. Let them cool on wire rack.

These cookies stand on their own without frosting.

25 Days of Cookies

Go to The Star where every day in December a new, delicious cookie recipe is shared.

25 Days of Desserts - Day 6

Cheerio Cookies

Yield: 82 cookies.

1 C butter or margarine
1 C white sugar
1 brown sugar
1/2 C peanut butter
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 C oatmeal
3 C Cheerios toasted oat cereal
1 (6 oz) pkg chocolate chips

Mix the butter, both sugars, peanut butter, vanilla and eggs thoroughly. Sift flour, salt, soda and baking powder. Fold into the first mixture. Add oatmeal, Cheerios and chocolate chips. Drop by tbsp onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375° for 10-12 min.

25 Days of Desserts - Day 2

Snickerdoodles

Yield: 42 cookies

1 3/4 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 C sugar
1/4 C butter, softened
1 Tbsp corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
3 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375°.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar, stirring with a whisk.

Combine 1 cup of sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add the corn syrup, vanilla, and egg; beat well. Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, beating just until combined. Cover and chill for 10 minutes.

Combine 3 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon, stirring with a whisk.
With moist hands, shape dough into 42 (1-inch) balls. Roll balls in sugar mixture. Place balls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Flatten balls with the bottom of a glass.

Bake at 375° for 5 minutes (cookies will be slightly soft). Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

25 Days of Desserts

Chocolate Malted Cookies

Yield: 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients
1 C packed brown sugar
6 Tbsp malted milk powder
5 Tbsp butter, softened
3 Tbsp chocolate syrup
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C milk chocolate chips
1/3 C semisweet chocolate mini chips

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk.

Gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating at low speed until well blended. Stir in the milk chocolate chips and semisweet chocolate mini chips.

Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Cool on pans 2 minutes or until firm. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks.