Gifts and Giving: Homemade Gifts vs Store Bought

Spending my time pursuing some sort of creative endeavor is always my first choice. As a result I have often had a number of things on hand to choose from when it came to gift giving time. That is, when I hadn't specifically crafted something especially for a particular person.

Once upon a time most people would have received a humble homemade item as a gift. Now there's twenty-four hour online shopping to provide us with whatever our materialistic hearts desire. Still, many people still appreciate something unique that makes them feel special and reminds them of the person who gave it to them.

The following article was previously published December 2011.

Homemade vs Store Bought Gifts for Christmas

As the holidays start to draw near, one question that often comes to mind is whether to give homemade or store-bought gifts for Christmas. For the avid crafter this is a no brainer; crafting for the next year’s Christmas gifts often begins shortly after the current year’s passes. For those who see themselves as creatively challenged, the idea of presenting loved ones with a unique gift handcrafted especially for them is both a wistful and daunting proposition.

On the flip side, receiving a homemade gift is highly valued buy some and seen as a cop-out by others. In an age driven largely by materialism and overconsumption, the homemade handicraft or jar of preserves isn’t always seen for the thoughtful gift it really is. That, however, is the recipient’s loss and not the giver’s. Contrary to popular belief, homemade gifts are not always less costly than store-bought ones. A hand-knit cashmere scarf takes several hours to craft and the yarn can cost as much as an expensive store-bought gift.

Choosing whether to give a homemade or store-bought Christmas gift is really up to the giver. Homemade gifts require time, talent, tools, and planning. If none of those are readily available, and planning ahead isn’t your strong point, stick to the store-bought items and start visiting the clearance rack the day after this Christmas to plan for the next one.

A homemade gift doesn’t have to be one that takes days or even hours to complete. Sure it would be nice to give your sweetie a hand knit scarf for Christmas, or make your expecting bff a crocheted baby blanket, but unless you do that sort of thing regularly, you may be getting yourself in for more than you bargained for. If crafting isn’t your strong suit, or if time is tight, keep things simple; you can still give unique, personalized gifts that would make Martha proud.

Some of the simplest homemade gifts you can make can be created from things you most likely already have around the house. Baked goods, flavored oils, stationery, potpourri, massage oils, bath salt, ornaments, and a plethora of hand embellished items are easy to put together in a manner of minutes.

At Christmas time (or any other gift giving occasion) it’s supposed to be the thought that counts. Whether a gift is homemade or store-bought, the one thing that is certain is that the gift should always be received with gratitude.

Alternatives to Traditional Christmas Trees

Yes, they are lovely to look at, but they are also costly (more and more so each year), and quite often they make a rather untidy mess on the floor. Unless you have kids at home and/or you find you just can't live without that fresh pine smell this time of the year, you may be wavering on whether or not to keep buying a Christmas tree year after year.

Yes, there are living trees for purchase and later planting, and yes, depending on where you live you can rent one, but wouldn't it be so much more interesting to do something different, something eco-friendly, and maybe even artistic? (Not to mention economical!) Read on!

This was one of my favorite contributions to the  Helium Celebrations channel. I really wish I  had a photo to go with this post! Originally published in November of 2010.

How to use a Wooden Ladder as a Christmas Tree

The idea of using a wooden ladder as a Christmas tree may seem odd to some, but to those who are imaginative or creative minded, it’s not only eco-friendly, it’s downright brilliant! No pruning, no pine needles to sweep up, no worry of water evaporation creating a fire hazard from a dry tree, and best of all, no extra expense – that is, as long as you already own the ladder.

A wooden ladder as a Christmas tree presents so many possibilities. The ladder could be draped and decorated like a tree or left bare and strung with multi-colored Christmas lights. Gifts could be strategically placed on the ladder’s “steps” while the other side of the ladder could be used for hanging everything from cards to stockings to ornaments.

The ladder could be painted green or left its natural wood color, which would probably be best since the ladder would mostly likely go back to its normal function once the Christmas holiday season is over. One way to add green though would be to drape a green fabric such as felt or even satin down the front of the ladder the way one would carpet a stairwell.

Decorative objects or even potted plants such as poinsettias, miniature pines or rosemary could then be arranged on the ladder’s steps to create a stunning display. After Christmas the plants could then be repotted or donated. Alternatively, collectibles could be arranged on the ladder’s steps to create an ascending display of figurines, snow globes, music boxes, gingerbread houses, candy dishes, vintage toys and any other sentimental object significant to you and your family.

Decorating the ladder without any kind of fabric draping should begin with the lights just like a real Christmas tree. This way you can carefully arrange the strands by weaving them in and out of or around the rungs/steps. Use clear lights for a conservative look and colored likes if going for a classic or theme look. Colored lights and a few strategically placed ornaments can more than serve as a substitute Christmas tree.

Many people like to decorate their Christmas trees in specific color schemes that change each year and the same approach can be taken when using a folding wooden ladder as a tree. There’s no hand and fast rule that says your Christmas tree has to be an actual tree. Just be careful climbing the ladder while decorating and follow the same safety rules you would when using the ladder to do projects around your home.

An Origami Christmas

I love Origami and I have often used it in the classroom as an exercise to help students learn how to follow directions. The kids love doing it and there's the quick gratification factor that not only makes them happy about doing something fun/new, but also helps to boost their self esteem.

This morning on Twitter I saw a link to 3D holiday origami on the Origami Kids blog, and when I followed the link, I saw another for a cute origami Santa. I immediately shared it on Facebook and emailed a couple people about it. The Santa would be a great activity to do with kids, adorable as a decoration on holiday gifts, or cute just dangling from a Christmas tree.

If you're making a lot of these with kids or to hang on your tree, purchase a roll of solid red gift wrap (no print) and cut the paper into squares yourself. It's not only economical, but you can make the squares the size you want and wrapping paper folds very well for origami.

There were some other nifty Christmas themed origami projects as well  I started thinking about how neat it would be to have an entire tree covered in origami. This wreath, also from Origami Kids, is made from modular pieces: http://origami-kids-en.blogspot.com/2010/11/origami-christmas-wreath.html.

The site also has a diagram for an origami reindeer, and while the modular Christmas tree and the 3D origami Christmas tree are great, the origami snowflake is amazing! I've added the embed code below for the you tube Santa video, though you'll more than likely want to visit the blog yourself.



I started looking around online and found a whole gallery of origami Santas (four pages!) of varying design from very simple folds to 3D standing versions. I also found an awesome assortment of origami ornaments at the origami resource center. (I just LOVE playing with paper!) On the same site where I found the simple folded tree below (makes a great table centerpiece) there was great eight-pointed origami star.

Fans of modular origami will no doubt appreciate this life-sized origami Christmas tree by Sharon Turvey that took months to assemble. For those who are not quite that ambitious a simpler origami Christmas tree folded from a single piece of paper will have to suffice. This one can be done with children or seniors as part of a group project.

Of course now that I've been looking at all these diagrams I don't want to do any work! I just want to get out some paper and start playing! Look for pretty paper things coming soon!