Christmas Crafts gifts ideas for adults

By: Rebecca Bitzer, RD, LD

Over twenty years of being a parent, one of the things I like best during the holiday season is doing crafts with my family. It provides a great opportunity to bond, create unique gifts and decorations, and enjoy the giving spirit of the holidays. I have always preferred a homemade gift, especially one from a child or loved one.

It definitely helps to watch Christmas movies or listen to Christmas music while crafting and cooking over the holidays.

Here are some of my favorites:

1. Homemade Christmas Tree Ornaments: Taking a trip to Michaels craft store or the dollar store is usually the first step to get ornaments to paint. Make sure you have some paint, brushes and kids love glitter. Cove the floor with an old sheet, give the kids old tee-shirts to wear and let the creativity flow. Remember, this is for fun so through away perfectionism and have fun! During the early years the ornaments can wooden or plastic, then as the kids get older glass ornaments are fun to paint. It is fun to buy different ornaments each year and watch your tree evolve over the years with a variety of ornaments.

2. Homemade Christmas Cookies: Again, you must give up perfectionism. The best way to instill confidence in children is to allow them to learn by doing. Here is a real life example of Christmas cookies from our house. They are delicious and everything tastes better when made with love as these cookies were. You can put them on a plate or in a container with a bow and you have a wonderful gift and your kids can eat the leftovers.

3. Homemade Soap: We only made soap once, but it is definitely a beautiful, fragrant, practical gift.

4. Flower Pots: Another easy, practical gift is painting flower pots. These were made for teachers.

5. Painted Rocks: Make easy fun paperweights or decorations for grown-ups and kids alike.

6. Photo Frames: Teens like to paint frames as gifts. This is another easy, inexpensive gift idea.

7. Christmas Food: This is actually a photo of food gifts from my step-mom. She makes the most amazing sweet rolls each year that I have not yet attempted. But we do make various kinds of snack mixes and last year we made the pretzels with the M&Ms melted in the middle (one of my favorite holiday foods).

8. Christmas Boxes: I found these boxes at the dollar store and using old photos these made adorable gifts for grandparents.

9. White Chocolate Snack Mix: This is a really easy recipe and is one of our family favorites.

10. Christmas Lights: If it simply does not work this year to make gifts, you can hopefully find time to drive around looking at Christmas lights. It seems like many neighborhoods have one house that is over the top with Christmas decorations, for us, this house is on Hillsmere Drive in Annapolis. Each year, their decorations are more intense.

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