I don't consider them "gifts" necessarily, but I generally make some baked goods to share with friends and neighbors every year.

My inlaws had a big family Christmas get-together, but because my husband and I lived 250 miles away we did not see his family more than twice a year. I found it very difficult to shop for them, so a couple of weeks before Christmas I would start making cookies, then freeze the baked cookies. I cooked one type of cookie each evening.

I started off with cookies that freeze well - chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal, shortbread, gingerbread and sugar cookies. You can add chocolate chips to the peanut butter cookies as well, and dried cranberries add a zing to the oatmeal cookies. Bar cookies also freeze well, but wait till you are ready to deliver them to cut them into bars. I did cookies with fillings and brownies in the days just before Christmas. To mix it up, some years I added pumpkin bread or small cakes flavored with liquor, and a couple of years I added pastries to the assortment. No one ever seemed to get tired of it.

I make ornaments, wall and lap quilts, candy, biscotti, and such. Every year.

I do, this year I made pillows for my daughters, I printed pictures of them/their husband/children onto fabric and made patches of them to sew into the fronts amid other quilt blocks. I also made a scarf for one brother and a stocking for another brother that recently moved out west and is spending his first Christmas alone, I stuffed it full of treats in hopes he could feel like a kid again for a short while. lol

I love making gifts, my daughters usually request something hand made, a quilt, crocheted scarf, whatever craft I'm currently working on. I started acrylic fluid painting and planned to give them each a painting for birthdays but it's such an unpredictable art, when I get two I'm especially proud of, they'll be theirs.

Not as often as I used to, but I try to tuck in some dish rags and this year I did make a throw for the grand kids nanny.

I embroidered some pillowcases, for my sister, this year. In years past, I made beaded snowflake Christmas ornaments. Fruit baskets, is an easy gift, to make.

I've always made gifts for Christmas - flannel nightgowns for nieces, ornaments and wall hangings, stockings, Christmas tree skirts, dolls and stuffed animals for the littles, candles, soap. I even made a pair of pig slippers once! And often something from the kitchen. Nowadays, as most of the kids have grown up and I ran out of creativity for ornaments, it is pretty much just kitchen goodies. Truffles, peppermint bark, cookies, chutney, marmalade, chicken liver pate.........I try something different every year. This year it is lemon curd and shortbread. And truffles.....boozey truffles!! I seem to make those every year :-)

I am making spiced and glazed nuts for adult grand kids. Have about 12 pounds to do, hope I get them finished. They have enjoyed the nuts other Christmases

I used to make small food gifts for friends - you know, they stop by with something for you, and you can grab this from your "stock pile" and give it to them. I've made mustard, candy, rum balls, Russian Tea - all easy, inexpensive items to make (except for the rum balls - pecans are expensive). I no longer have the strength to do this and my friends and I have all stopped this tradition.

I origami star ornaments from dollar bills and add a check.

Sometimes I paint a little keepsake. It can be a tiny painting on canvas with it's own wooden easel or a rock or piece of slate.

I used to, but not so much any more. When family and friends had children still little I used to make pocket travel pillows....their own travel pillows with a little pocket for a book or stuffed animal. Flannel pjs and nightgowns. Table runners, napkins when practicing my serging (that I never got proficient with, that machine being so finicky to thread). Velour warming pillows filled with flax seed to microwave were a hit one year.

I want to be on Lars christmas list ;0) My small city doesn't even have a fabric store any longer unless you count Walmarts scant (and sub-par) offerings.

Also not anymore. Painted a lot of houses and figurines for my father in laws Christmas village over the years. Still do some money origami. Last crafty thing was a diaper cake. Never got any response, so maybe it was done badly? My daughter has been working a lot on her yearly calendars. Started numbering them in September. She is doing four of them each year. Grandparents, aunt and uncle, aunt and us (as my husband and me)

Just little things. We don't really exchange gifts but I made potholders for a few friends. Tonight I had some friends back after going out to dinner, just for dessert and eggnog. I made some turtle pretzels, put them in cellophane bags and bought these cute little "Christmas Houses" at the Dollar tree to pack them in. I gave everyone a house to take home with them. Last year I made hot pepper jelly for everyone. There are a few friends I bake stollen for and deliver them Christmas Eve day so they can have them for Christmas breakfast. Will deliver a tray of cookies to a few neighbors. That's about it.

We make raspberry cordial, DH makes wood turnings but back in the day I made many many gifts...life is too busy that is the bottom line.

I usually give an assortment of canned items to friends when they have a Christmas party. Pickles, pickled peppers, and of course Annie's Salsa.

I also usually make a few batches of scrabble to give as gifts.

I used to make a lot of wooden craft items like bird houses and feeders, game boards and give those as gifts but not so much anymore.

Meant to say I love the origami stars!

Still in the throes of painting large roofing slates as welcome signs for two nephews. Eventually I will get my dining table back!

Infrequently I will knit or crochet something for under the tree. Twice I knit or crocheted an afghan for my sister. This year our son and his wife are expecting their first baby. She had shared with me an article about an Irish hospital that asked volunteers to crochet little stuffed octopi for their premature babies in lavender yarn. I made one for her baby, and it is wrapped for her. The hospital says that the tentacles remind them of the umbilical cord that they would grasp in utero and soothes them.

I'm not a very crafty person (don't know how to sew, knit, crochet or use a glue gun), but I do love to cook. Over the years I have given handmade gifts that were mostly food related including, jam/jelly from our fruit trees, applesauce, cookies, candy, beef jerky, salami, salsa and kahlua.

I also make jewelry so most of my friends and relatives have been the recipients of earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Now and then, I'll give someone a framed and matted photo. I'm thinking of having calendars made using my photos as something to give as gifts next Christmas.

I make bird feeder balls. Only did two this year. Broccoli bread along with a pack of soup or chili mix is a favorite, too. In the past I have made some ornaments and years ago a few cross-stitch pictures.

ETA: I found chocolate frosting to use for the brown parts.

I make candy for our nieces, nephews & their families. Usually, Oreo truffles, Needhams & Christmas crack is always the favorite.

I also crochet hats for all the littles & some of the grown ups too. Seems to be appreciated.

I do make gifts when a good idea comes to my head. Last year I made some 4x4 snowmen decorations and give them to a friend. I gave that same friend a gift basket of cappuccino, pumpkin spice syrup, dish towels, pot holders, a frying pan candle, a mug with candy and a box of truffles. I love making gifts.

I used to make a lot more food items, but it's been winnowed down to everyone's favorites: Cranberry, white chocolate, and pistachio biscotti; double chocolate biscotti; CindyMac's Honey-chipotle pecans, and triple berry seedless jam. I can't make enough jam to supply everyone who wants it, so it's become a hot commodity, lol.

I've made cookies before, used to crochet afghans but haven't in years. I'm thinking of taking up crocheting again, not sure what I would do with them when I was done, though. I still have a cat afghan that I have in my hope chest. I made it and tried to sell it over 20 years ago at a craft shop. It didn't sell so I took it home. Then I was going to give it to my daughter when she started taking care of her things better. Now she has two new dogs, one a puppy who is chewing up stuff...so it still sits in my hope chest. The thing was a pain in the behind to do, using multiple colors, has I think 9 squares with a cat in each square.

Those cookies look like fun and the stars above are really cute. I love to make gifts. I only had time for one this year, a scarf for my SIL. He’s hinted that he’d like me to make him something more than once. This was at the beginning, it’s pretty long now and I’m adding an edge to it. I’m hopeful he’ll like it.

My inspiration:

I would make candied/spiced nuts for my dad and best friends, or share something like plum jam or pumpkin butter that I had made.. as time went on and my little child got older, I only had time to make one batch of nuts, that went to my dad.

lukki, that scarf is so handsome, very sharp.

I used to bake when we were super poor and had no money. I found baking really inexpensive. I baked all the time for my children so the supplies were almost always on hand. I would bake cookies and bread, and one year I made chocolate covered cherries (I don't recommend it: they take FOREEEVVVER!) I even made Turtles, but over cooked the caramel so they were a little rock hard. hahahaha I even made little sled ornaments out of popcicle sticks. I keep meaning to make them again, they're so cute everyone loved them. But now? I don't have the time, nor the energy to make home made gifts. Besides, todays generation does not appreciate the home made things as much as we used to. I grew up with almost everything home made: my mom cooked from scratch (hardly 0 processed foods growing up), she baked everything (we never ate cookies from Christie), and mom is a seamstress so the vast majority of my clothes were made by mom. She also knitted so I had a lot of home made knit sweaters. I honestly don't know anyone who would appreciate them anymore.

I do! I made several cross body purses this year, hanging towels, hot pads, chex mix and Orval Redenbacher butter snack mix. It is always a big hit. So many make something sweet so I try to make something less sweet.

Debby, I’m from that world too, home made food, clothes and sweaters. My favorite was the flannel nightgowns we’d each get for Xmas. Those really were the days huh?

No time this year. One year I made stained glass ornaments for people; I need to get back into the stained glass hobby.

Actually, I know I'm giving someone a dozen eggs that I, er, my chickens will make. This will be the next time I see her, and will come with another gift.