Making gifts at Christmastime can be such a fun activity for kids and parents to share. However keep in mind, when making these Christmas treats, you will need to make sure to keep some for your family too.
Glass Jars
Recycle and sterilize glass canning jars with vacuum-sealed lids, to show-off colorful dry ingredients. My favorite containers are the glass spaghetti jars, with measuring lines, making filling much easier. When sterilized in the dishwasher, these can be reused to hold Christmas treat ingredients.
Gift Tags
Gift-tag templates come in a variety of shapes and sizes which can be printed out on your computer, available from ScrapbookScrapbook online at http://www.scrapbookscrapbook.com/tags-templates.html . List recipe directions, and ingredients included, on the back of the tag, addressing the recipient on the gift-tag front.
Filling Jars
Find your favorite cookie recipe, or simple homemade cocoa mixes for hot chocolate drinks, and fill accordingly, using dry ingredients only. Pour recipe ingredients into jars by layers, to create interesting designs.
Remember you are only adding the dry ingredients, such as flour, salt, soda, chocolate chips, nuts, oats, etc. It will be up to the recipient to add their own eggs, butter, milk or water for cookie mixes. For easier homemade cocoa mixes, you will only need to add layers of powdered milk, cocoa and sugar.
Festive Bows
Tightly screw on the lid top and then glue a large pre-made Christmas bow on top, using either a hot-glue gun, or medium-sized clear glue-dots. If you would prefer to make your own bow, wrapping a colorful selection of wide and thin ribbons together, loop them back and forth, from one side to the other, gluing down each loop over the last one at center.
You could also cut, and glue a short circle-skirt of Christmas-print fabric, to entirely cover the jar lid. To do this, simply measure around the lid, adding an extra inch all the way around. Cut fabric circle with either pinking shears, or regular scissors leaving a raw edge. Attach a bow on top (as above) or run a ribbon around the outside of the lid, ruffling the fabric while holding it in place, for farm-style country jam nostalgia.
You could also attach a wrapped candy cane, or two, along with the appropriate “recipe” instruction tags, on top of your homemade Christmas treats. Label tags with recipients names, adding stickers or rubber stamp art, for personalized homemade, yet inexpensive gift-giving.
