You don’t have to break the bank to show someone how much you care
Photo by Simrat Otal.
As Christmas rapidly approaches so does exam season, which means that students might not have the time or money to figure out what to gift their loved ones. But fear not, oh depressed but jolly ones, this list should help spark some ideas about what to make for the people you love at a relatively decent price.
Affirmation Jar
There is no better way to show someone you love what they mean to you than writing it down on over a dozen pieces of scrap paper. This is where the affirmation jar steps in.
The materials needed are an empty jar (I prefer jars from pasta sauce), small pieces of paper, and a writing utensil of some sort. On the pieces of paper you can write anything that reminds you of the person: memories that you share, your favourite things about them, songs they should listen to, or even quotes you think they would enjoy. You then fold them up and mix them in the jar for your loved one to pick out one by one whenever they need a pick-me-up.
If you have time, you can dress up the jar and affirmations by painting or writing their name onto the outside of the jar. And as for the inside of the jar, you can cut the paper into shapes that are indicative of the season – candy canes, snowflakes, snowmen, or whatever your Christmas-loving heart desires.
Christmas Cookies
A great way to show someone that you care for them is by gifting them homemade baked goods. Have you ever felt bad about someone giving you a cookie? No? I thought so.
For beginner bakers, sugar cookies are a great place to start. With most easy recipes stating that you only need three ingredients, they leave very little room for error. Even if they come out of the oven looking a little wrong, there’s no cookie that a bit of icing and sprinkles can’t fix.
For more advanced bakers, or bakers with a bit more time on their hands, creating an assortment of cookies like gingerbread cookies, crinkle cookies, and other sugary delights is the best way to show that you put your heart into this gift.
A Seasonal Poem
Who said that you need to be a writing major to give someone the gift of words this Christmas season? Not me, that’s for sure.
An original poem about a person, a place that means a lot to the both of you, or even about how much you love the winter can really hit the mark on being a thoughtful gift. It’s also a bonus that it doesn’t require too many materials to be successful: just a pen, a piece of paper, and a piece of your soul.
And fret not if you think it’s cheesy or not as good as James Joyce. I promise that your loved one will cherish an acrostic poem with their name more than any poetry book off the shelves of Russell Books.
Crochet Christmas Coasters
I know that, for a lot of people, crocheting can seem like an extremely daunting task. However, I’m here to tell you that there is a surprising amount of beginner-friendly patterns, and a coaster for someone to rest their warm drinks on this holiday season is the perfect object to tackle.
For beginners, there are many easy-to-follow tutorials online to help you nail either a circle or square coaster to gift your loved one. I personally recommend easycrochet.com, which gives detailed written instructions for each step of the process.
If you’re still worried that coasters don’t scream Christmas, I recommend picking up yarn in red, white, and green so that they perfectly fit with the rest of the Christmas decor.
Coupon
Of course, I couldn’t get through a list of homemade gifts without mentioning the classic gift: the coupon.
Some examples of things that might star in your next homemade coupon book are a coupon for an outing of their choice, completing a task that you know they’ve been dreading, or something simple that you know they are always afraid to ask for — like a hug.
If done right, this can be a really thoughtful gift because you are promising to give someone what they need right now. While this might be attached to the cliché of being a last-minute gift, sometimes giving someone the gift of an act of service is better than any physical gift they could receive.
At the end of the day, no matter what you make, you can’t go wrong with any homemade gift. The true gift is that you put in enough thought and care to try and make something that you thought that they would like.
