i love when i receive homemade cookies in the mail from relatives. I also make $5 gift baskets comprised of trinkets from the dollar section at target.

I make excellent shortbread. I've been told they're "little pieces of heaven." I've given them as hostess gifts, too.

My Dad always loses his bookmarks, so he gets a whole collection every year.

I also do creative wrappings, like this triangular origami box:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/minkas_studio/2237309793/

I make big batches of cookies for my in-laws every year, which they love. My brother-in-law asked for his already. XD I tried making soaps for them once, but that didn't go over as well. I also often make eggrolls for my best friend for her birthday.

I make photographs for everyone and put them in simple frames. Either art pieces or offer to do family portraits in the home.

I've done homemade gifts for my coworkers a few times. Last year I made biscotti and truffles for everyone (10-12 people) and a few years back I made drink mixes (chai and cafe mocha). It was great because I could do all the work at once. The wrapping was more time-consuming.

homemade hot cocoa in pretty jars that i'll decorate myself!

Shortbread and jar cookie mixes are my favorites homemade gifts to give to friends and neighbors. (GlowingMoon: We need to trade shortbread recipes sometime!)

I make chili recipes and put them in a clear miking bowl. I also do this with brownies. I also love to make ornaments. For this really nice little old lady who lives by herself, I bake her pies for the holidays.

I found a pattern for cute little peep-toe slippers that I think I'll be making for some of my friends/cousins, and maybe I'll do some custom throw pillows. I'll definitely be watching this post for more suggestions. I've got lots of gifting to do and not a ton of money to do it with. Any green suggestions would be ideal

I like doing cute 5 minute mug cake kits in pretty mugs.

I make note card sets and tie them up with pretty ribbon. Last year I made cookies for everyone in my office. This year they're getting chocolate-covered pretzels!

I just bought a pound of vanilla beans on eBay (a steal compared to the $2/bean in stores around me!) to make little jars of vanilla sugar to give away.

I'm searching for a good home made hot cocoa recipe, anyone care to share theirs?

I love kits from Paper Source. One year I made drop spine boxes for my mom, sisters and aunt: http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/results/results.html?search_te.... They take about 3 hours each to make so it is time consuming but with paper that you pick out specifically for that person and maybe putting some goodies inside it is a complete gift that has always gone over really well. I just made one for my soon-to-be-born nephew so his mom has a place to put his keepsakes - it was the biggest hit at a shower where other women were giving $400 strollers - and my gift only cost about $18 to make!

Last year I made Honey Ginger Wine from a recipe I found on YouTube and altered. I remove the labels off old wine bottles and sterilize them with sanitizer solution. I then use magazine pictures to and modge podge to customize each bottle. It takes at least a month for it to ferment, so I may have to whip up a special Holiday Spice batch here pretty soon...

also, the longer they go, the more alcohol per volume the contain. Think of it as elegant moonshine . I make them in half-dozen batches and the last brew was Labor Day. I should pop one open and see how it tastes ;D.

I make everyone ornaments each year. Any craft store has glass or porcelain ornaments, that you can paint. I try to customize them with whimsy pictures of their favorite christmas character, music, thier pets.

There are way to many creative things you can do with them! so its never the same thing year after year and everyone LOVES them.

raiven: i just googled a few. there are two from food network people. i am going to make an evening out of it and make three different hot cocoa recipes then have my roomates sample all three and vote for the best

I make jewelry, journals, scrapbooks, etc. I also paint ornaments like CaterpillarGirl. If I do that I usually include it as part of the wrapping- like tied onto the bow. I like doing homemade projects because it always seems like you put a lot of thought into it (plus, I'm poor!). It seems like a better gift than what I could afford to buy at a store.

Personalized Nalgene bottles for the boys and some vintage jewelry for the girls

I plan to make a couple big batches of homemade jam and apple butter, and have my artist hubby decorate the jars. My family and friends are all major foodies, so these'll be perfect gifts!

I always make homemade toffee and put it in decorative boxes. I put a few sampler-sized bags of coffee in with it and everyone loves it.

i used to make jewelry for people or scrapbooks or things of that nature. now people just know that right now things are tough financially and i'm not sure if i'll be able to get anything this season. it's hard - but that's kind of the situation for a lot of people i know

Every year I make fudge & homemade Baileys Irish Cream...people have come to expect it now! I guess it's about that time to start looking for new ways to package them...I always find pretty bottles & different ways to package the fudge like in a mug or a tin. I've been looking for new candy recipes to change it up a bit...but I really think people will be disappointed if they don't get the fudge! It's my Mom's recipe...but she says I make it better now, although I think its just so she gets out of making it!

ooh all of these things sound great!

a1stbornunicorn, what is your recipe? it sounds awesome! I'd love to try it!

I do like to make cookies, and jams and stuff is nice too,

I also got some recipes for facial stuff off a co-worker, they're really easy to make and they work really well.

I bought some treat sacks last year after christmas for 75% off.I am thinking about baking cookies and brownies this year and if I have time cupcakes.

this year I'm making lavendar eye masks for everyone. I've also make some Sock-tapus (an octapus plush toy made from socks) for the kids. And I like to make mugs for coworkers - buy a mug for like $1 from michaels or target and fill it with hot coco packets and stuff like that. I'll probably make cookies or biscotti to put in them too. I love all these ideas!!
jasmint - where did you get that recipe for the shoes and stuff?!?!!?!

Making someone a scrapbook is very touching

Gingerbread cookies in tins. Yum...
Hand-knit scarves and hats.
Family DVDs. They love 'em and are so easy to make..

To Renees3 and anyone else wondering: http://tissupapers.blogspot.com/2008/06/elle-tie-on-slippers.html

Hi a1stbornunicorn,

Great idea! Can you post the recipe here?

I make homemade vanilla extract and put it in really cool bottles that I doll up. I get ALOT of requests for more...!!!

Pretty tins filled with homemade treats - my normal choices are bourbon balls, old-school "pressed" spritz cookies, chocolate-dipped pretzels, brownies, stuff like this.

Homemade stockings - if you have the ability to use a sewing machine, you have the ability to easily make some GORGEOUS handmade Christmas stockings (which are so hard to find now..everything is so crappy and mass-produced!)

Homemade salsa - I make a really kickass salsa (if I do say so myself).

If you have a special recipe you love, that you think they would too, you can prepare it for them, and make a gift basket of it, with the recipe, and maybe a couple of crucial ingredients to get them started.

On a less practical note, I used to run a small eco-friendly home products company, where I made everything myself. Though I gave it up when I moved (no space to produce, went from a house to a flat, sadly)...I still retain all my recipes, and after a couple of years of research and reading, I had also branched into making things for myself. I make a face oil with a macadamia nut oil base which is incredibly moisturizing without being greasy and my mom LOVES it, especially when they go hiking, so I make that for her since I know she never will herself.

I am currently way too short on money to buy anyone presents, so I've brushed up on my knitting skills and am making all the loved ones in my life something knitted. I got the yarn from my pack-rat grandmother, and already had the needles, so everything is free! Who doesn't love getting a home-made (and still very awkward looking) hat and scarf for Christmas?

macchiatolove and hannahsnow: Just saw your posts. I change it up with each batch but the basic recipe by the bottle is as follows:

1) Fill bottle half way with room temperature purified water (I just run tap water through a PUR pitcher but feel free to use bottled). It has to be room temp bc the yeast will not work in hot or realyl cold water.
2) Pour about 1/4 bottle's worth of honey into the water. Add whatever other ingredients you want at this time (ginger, cinnamon, extracts).
3) Stop up the bottle and shake for several minutes, letting the ingredients fully mix with the water.
4) Add about pinch of yeast to the mixture- seriously, don't add too much or it won't ferment properly. Fill the remaining area with water, leaving the neck of the bottle empty. Shake well, again.
5) You can either invest in stoppers (you can get them at restaurant supply stores) or you can do it the easy way and rubber band several layers of saran wrap around the top of the bottle. Either way, make sure it's sealed tight so no air can get in and none can escape.
6) Leave bottle upright in a warm, dry place to ferment undisturbed. Enjoy your honey wine in about a month .