Even if you can’t make a lot of gifts for the holidays—either because you’re too busy, not crafty or just lack of interest—here are a few easy and inexpensive ideas to give a special touch to your holiday gifts.
Cinnamon Ornaments
These require no baking and are simple enough for kids to do them.
- Mix 1 cup of applesauce with 1 1/2 cups of ground cinnamon to form stiff dough. (I just buy cinnamon in bulk and add to the applesauce until it seems firm.)
- Roll out to form 1/4 inch thickness. (You can adjust the thickness, but if it’s too thin, it may break easily, and if it’s too thick, it will take more time to dry.)
- Cut with cookie cutters; make hole for ribbon or hanger.
- Carefully put on rack to dry; let air dry for several days, turning occasionally.
- You can leave them as is for sweet smelling ornaments, or you can decorate with fabric paints.
Hint: I like to use the cookie cutters that actually press a shape onto the cookie. Decorating is easier for children, as there is a pattern for them to follow.
Cinnamon Stick Bundles
Perfect for package decorating or tree trimming ornament.
- Glue together 3 cinnamon sticks in a bundle.
- Tie with festive ribbon; add dried flowers or holly leaves.
Hint: You can buy cinnamon sticks in bulk at discount stores.
Honey Surprise
This is a great last minute gift to give to neighbors, acquaintances, or postal workers.
- In a small jar, put a cinnamon stick, 2 whole cloves, and 2 whole allspice.
- Add honey to fill.
- Set in a bowl of hot water for 20 minutes (to develop flavors).
Hint: You can buy small holiday decorated jars at your local dollar/discount stores, or just add a festive ribbon to the jar.
Vanilla Almond Coffee
A great idea for coffee lovers on your list!
- Add 1 ounce bottle of pure vanilla extract and 1 ounce bottle of pure almond extract to 1 pound of coffee.
- Shake to blend thoroughly.
- Put in an attractive (but inexpensive) holiday tin from your discount dollar store.
Hint: Works well with decaffeinated brews, too!
Pomander Balls
This is kind of fun and something kids can also do.
- Stick whole cloves into any kind of citrus fruit; use a skewer or nail to start holes.
- You can cover the entire fruit, or just make a pattern of your own design.
- Use festive ribbons to hang or place in a bowl as a centerpiece.
- Makes a wonderful decoration as well as a wonderful room freshener for the holidays.
Hint: Best to use thin-skinned, firm fruit.
Cake in a Cup
A great idea for young people on your list, or for people who don’t cook or bake much.
- For the cake you will need: 1 box of cake mix and a small box of instant pudding mix (not sugar free).
- For the glaze you will need: 1/3 cup of powdered sugar, and 1 1/2 tsp of dry flavoring such as: lemonade mix, orange breakfast drink mix, cocoa or vanilla powder, instant flavored coffee or cappuccino.
- Mix the cake mix ingredients and blend well; measure 1/2 cup of the mixture into a sandwich bag and label “Cake Mix.”
- Mix the glaze mix ingredients and put into another sandwich bag labeled “Glaze Mix.”
- Place bags in a coffee cup with the following baking instructions:
- Mist inside of cup with cooking spray.
- Empty cake mix into cup.
- Add one egg white, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1 tablespoon of water
- Mix well
- Microwave on high 2 minutes
- Mix glaze mix in a small bowl with 1 teaspoon of water; pour over cake.
The flavor options are limited only to your imagination and what you can find at your grocery store, but here are some obvious choices:
- Lemon cake mix/lemon pudding; lemonade glaze
- Yellow cake mix/chocolate pudding; cocoa glaze
- Devil’s food cake mix/chocolate fudge pudding; cocoa glaze
- Pineapple cake mix/coconut pudding; flaked coconut
- Butterscotch cake mix/butterscotch pudding; powdered sugar only
Hints: The coffee cup needs to be microwave safe and be able to hold at least 1 1/2 cups of water.
Dollar stores have these size mugs often, and usually decorated for the holidays as well!
Also, one recipe will fill more than one mug, so you can either put more than one “cake” in each mug or give a few different people the same “cake.”
