Homemade Gifts for Neighbors, Teachers and Friends

Looking for gift ideas for your child’s teachers?  Neighbors?  Friends?

I love to bake and craft, so homemade gifts are right up my alley.  Here are a few things I’ve done in the past….

Cookie Boxes: I love putting together Cookie Boxes or trays for our neighbors and friends.  It’s always a major undertaking, baking hundreds and hundreds of cookies.  I usually aim for 5 or 6 different kinds of cookies in each box, but you could just as easily stick with one really good cookie and call it a day!  Lots of work, but it just isn’t Christmas to me without baking lots of cookies!

PS.  I did an informal poll about cookies on Facebook a while back.  With increasing dietary concerns-food allergies, diabetes, gluten intolerance, and almost everyone trying to lose weight-I questioned whether cookies are still a welcome gift.  People overwhelmingly responded YES….but obviously food allergies and special diets should be taken into consideration!

Spicy Garlic or Candy Glazed Nuts: These are SO yummy!  Both the Spicy Garlic and the Candy Glazed varieties are fantastic, and I love to have them on hand for a quick appetizer when we have company over.

Crayon Monograms: These Crayon Monograms are just perfect for teachers and really fun to make. (And you can use all the leftover bits for melted crayons.)

Homemade Bath Scrubs: Probably the easiest of all the gifts I’ve mentioned so far.  Bath scrubs take less than 5 minutes to mix together, and most of you should have all of the ingredients on hand.  There are lots of variations, including this Sweet and Spicy Brown Sugar Body Scrub and Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub.

I’m doing something different this year for The Littlest Apple’s teachers, but I won’t be sharing my new project for another week or two few weeks!

What are you giving to teachers, neighbors, and friends this holiday season? What kinds of things do you like to receive?