If you are still looking for Christmas presents you can give even though Santa has left your checkbook bare this year, here are some ideas from ingenious Meridian readers.

I can definitely relate to this situation! But I found that it was a fun and exciting challenge to see what I could  come up with using things I already had at the house or that were low cost. And most people really appreciate a gift created especially for them.

Baking can be a great source of gifts, but often require expensive ingredients such as chocolate or nuts. So how about making cinnamon rolls to give friends for Christmas morning? They are quite inexpensive and easy to make.

Another fun and welcome gift is layered bean soup mix in a canning jar with a soup recipe attached. (And you may have some of the ingredients already in your food storage!) Cut out a circle of calico and tie it over the top of the lid with raffia or yarn for a festive touch.   You can find all kinds of make it yourself mixes and ideas for food gifts on the Internet.

For friends who love to cook, plant herbs such as parsley, basil or thyme in small terra cotta pots for their kitchen window sill. If you're artistic, paint fun designs on the pots first.

If you know how to knit or crochet, a skein of yarn makes a nice scarf. Use a very large hook or size 15 knitting needles and some chunky or other fun yarn. If you want a very long scarf, use two different colors and add fringe on the ends. I use just a straight knit stitch as the yarn creates the pattern and interest.

If you're giving gifts to family members, you can scan in some old black and white family photos and write a little reminiscence of that person or a short biographical sketch of an ancestor. This family history idea would be a great Sunday afternoon activity. Or you could create some mini photo albums using colored cardstock, stickers and putting the pages together with a metal ring.

Have you checked out the dollar stores to supplement your gifts? They have great toiletry items for stocking stuffers, as well as gum, candy and nuts. It's also a good place to get puzzles and DVDs of old favorite television shows and scrapbooking supplies.

For your husband you could create a coupon book of promissory notes such as “good for one backrub” or detailing his car or making his favorite dessert. I'm sure he would also be touched to receive a thoughtful letter from you, enumerating all the things you love and appreciate about him. I hope these few ideas will help spark your own creativity and that you enjoy creating your own unique Christmas gifts! 

Patti in Vista, California

You had some great ideas, Patti. I particularly liked the herb garden. Hmmm … I wonder if they make chia basil. That's something I might not even kill.

Coupon gifts in a sweetly decorated box can be fun to open and pretty to see under the tree. The coupons can be for babysitting, time for a walk, helping someone rake the leaves or do things in a garden, or anything else of interest.

Homemade gifts of cookies, a stew for a working mom, a casserole ? it is the love that goes into it that is the best of all these gifts.

If you sew it can be something that you have sewn, little vests made of cotton to be worn with a pair of jeans and a T-shirt really liven up a pair of older jeans or sew a T-shirt if you have know-how.

A child can enjoy a “new” gift from a thrift shop, even though it might need washing, mending, a shine or two, or a new paint job.  We can give gifts of a box of chocolate “kisses” and chocolate “hugs” and let the family come and claim their gift with the real thing!

I have received homemade items from my daughter (cross-stitching) and daughter-in-law (plaques made at homemaking) that mean more to me than many things that have been store-bought for much more money. It is the gift of time and love that fills my heart each time I see them that brings back memories each time I see them in my home. 

Sister Davis
Lubbock, Texas

Thanks for your suggestions, Sister Davis. Homemade items really do have a lot of sentiment with them, don't they?

Your comment about giving gifts of chocolate “kisses” and “hugs” reminded me of something we did last month. Clark and I have a friend who craves Hershey's chocolate, and every year we go to the Hershey's website and spend a zillion dollars on mass quantities of her favorite candies for her to eat in her room on a cold winter's night.

This year, being unemployed as I am, I didn't have the money to go to the Hershey's website. Instead we went to good old Target and bought a whole assortment of Trish's favorite chocolates, put them in a box, and mailed them off ourselves. Everything was on sale, and we got tons and tons of chocolate for right around ten dollars. It made me wonder why in the world I ever let the website do it for me at premium prices, when I could customize the variety and send the very same chocolates myself for a fraction of the cost.

Sometimes we don't even think how we're wasting money until we no longer have money to waste. It was nice to learn a small lesson on how much money I could save without diminishing the gift in the slightest.

Read on for other ideas:

When we were younger, we used to buy presents for each other.  As we grew older we sort of stopped giving presents to each other and concentrated on our children. Now in our golden years, we don't need anything so we just spend time with each other and visit with whom we can ? those nearby.  We have a lot of love to share, so we do that as much as we can. 

I make chocolate-covered things to give to friends. For years I made fruitcakes for friends and family. Everyone liked them because they did not contain citron. This may be my last year, as I am getting too old to do much baking.  The love is still there to give. 

I am enclosing a poem I wrote a few years ago. I hope you like it.

My Gift

I walked the store aisles searching
for a present just  for you.
What was your favorite color,
red, green, or pink or blue?

Did you like pearls or diamonds,
furs of fox or mink?
A dress of silk or satin,
nylon stockings? Let me think.

A box of candied goodies,
a corsage of lovely flowers?
A flowery umbrella
for all those wintry showers?

A ring or bracelet maybe?
A gold necklace just might do.
Perfume, cologne, or powder
might be just the thing for you.

I think I've something better
that will go a long, long way.
I'll give you all my love dear,
All wrapped up for Christmas day.

December 1989

R. Evelyn Quadro
Healdsburg, California

Thanks for the poem, Evelyn. You're good enough to write greeting cards. That's something you can keep doing even when you're too old to bake. You're right about visiting, too. “The love is still there to give.”

When our financial picture permanently changed, with no children left at home, we decided to give the gift of charity. We choose a charity, make a donation and let family and friends know who their gift has blessed. One of my seven children liked the idea so much, they now do the same thing. We never reveal how much we've spent. One year the best we could do was to donate our air miles to the Special Olympics. We feel good about this, our friends and family feel good, and it always fits our budget and has simplified Christmas for us.

Dorothy Gardiner in  Alberta

Thanks for the suggestion, Dorothy. If your family is at home, you might even want to consider doing the charity work together instead of making (or in addition to) a financial donation. You can make real family memories by collecting items for a Sub-for-Santa project, or serving at a shelter kitchen. As Evelyn pointed out above, the most memorable gifts are gifts of self.

Here are a few I am doing.

First, I happen to have my mother's wedding quilt (which I have never liked very much ? not that creative or great color).  No one else wanted it either in my sibling group.  Thus, I have stored it for quite a few years.  Well, this year, I have cut up the squares, and I am giving them hemmed up and framed which I know how to do for free or very cheap, to each of my siblings, and giving just the hemmed squares to them in a package to give one to each of their children.  They can frame their own.  It takes a bit of work to frame quilt squares, so I will only do that for my siblings.  If you have an artist in your ward or stake, perhaps they can help you.  I do that for members in our ward.  Framing is very expensive.

My husband wrote a wonderful poem while he was in college before we even met.  He is printing it out on nice paper that I can frame for our children so they can have a copy of that.  That will fit in inexpensive frames from Hobby Lobby, which are almost always on sale.  Get glass at the hardware store, put a foam core back on it, and you got it! 

I also have most of the family photos from past generations on my side.  My husband makes wonderful copies on great paper using his computer, and I also frame those for my sibling group.  Again, I use on sale frames from Hobby Lobby or other such craft stores.  Alas, my husband's family didn't have much in the way of photos because they were really poor.  But I do that for his side as well.

My sister found a reel-to-reel tape recording a few years ago from 1963 of our Dad speaking and the whole session of a stake conference in our home town.  He was the incoming president at the time.  This was after I had moved away and married.  I found a place where they can transfer that to a CD and my husband can again make CDs with Dad's voice for siblings and his grandkids (our children) for next to nothing.  Of course this takes some computer skill, but perhaps that would be feasible for many families.

I make a killer pumpkin pie, and I plan to give that to a few families. 

I also have lots of small plants that I saved from my out door potted plants this year.  They happen to also be house plants, like jade plants, wandering Jew, and so on.  I repotted them in nice and very cheap colorful plastic pots that were now on "giveaway" since plant season is past.  I am giving those to many people ? my visiting teachees, and other friends and neighbors. 

I have a fabulous garden that I cut down for winter, saving many wonderful things such as grasses, money plants, sedum heads, and pods.  I have invited all my R.S. sisters out to make a winter bouquet to keep or give to someone.  Many have come to do that.  It is a "bring your own vase" sort of activity.  An arrangement of this type might cost upwards of 50 bucks from a flower store.

I know how to make salt dough ornaments using simple food coloring, or they can also be painted after baking; and also some Danish paper ornaments.  I invite gal friends over to make them, bring their daughters and friends, or make them and give away.  Salt dough recipes are easy to find, but I can furnish one if needed.

I am an artist, but all of this is very easy, but also might serve as an idea generator for others. 

Sincerely,
Daleene Menning

The best part of your ideas, Daleene, is that you share your ideas with others. Most of us don't think to invite others over to our homes to make gifts, the way we used to do it back in the homemaking craft days. But sometimes that's exactly what we need to inspire us to start a project, and to finish it once it has been started. Turning a project into a party ? what a great way to do things!

First of all I'd like to tell “Broke” that I admire her for trying to come up with some homemade ideas for Christmas instead of going into debt with credit cards or a loan. I hope she doesn't fall into that trap.

For the neighbor and friend gifts I encourage her to forgo that splurge this year. Her neighbors and friends are probably aware of her situation and would not be offended in any way if she doesn't go all out for a gift for them, they might even be a little alarmed if they feel like she spent money on them she could have spent on her children or husband. A homemade card with a handwritten note in it could mean a lot to someone. Tell them a fun memory you have of them and how much you love having them for a neighbor and friend. Even a dish of homemade candy and cookies would be a great gift. “Broke” could also make up a homemade cookbook with all her favorite recipes in it. My sister-in-law gave me one of those 20 years ago and I still pull it out to make her lasagna.

I don't know if this sister can sew but sometimes sewing can cut a few dollars from the budget. I used to make my husband a new flannel shirt every year for Christmas because his arms were so long and I couldn't buy them for him. He loved those shirts! Nightgowns and PJ's are easy to make. Just be careful, if you aren't used to sewing you might end up spending more money than if you just bought the same thing on sale. If this sister doesn't sew, fleece throws can be inexpensive if you get a good sale at the fabric store. There's no sewing involved, just cutting and tying the edges.

I also suggest that “Broke” go on line and look for homemade gifts. There are many web sites devoted to fun ideas like this. She needs to figure out what her budget is and stick to it. And remember that many times, a few weeks after Christmas nobody remembers what you gave them for a gift, they just remember the feeling they had that you remembered them.

Valerie
Riverton, Utah

You're absolutely right, Valerie! After reading your letter, I went online and found about a zillion hits when I Googled “homemade gifts.” Here are a representative few:

Last year I was smart and invested in a comb binder because I really wanted to make homemade calendars for Christmas gifts.  (It's been a tradition for many years for me to buy my four daughters a calendar each Christmas, and I usually pay $5 for one at Wal-mart.)

I print my homemade calendars on cardstock and use a calendar format from one of my software programs and clip-art from my computer to give it a theme for each month.  I add everyone's birthdays in our family and extended family, and any holidays and family events. 

Then, on the top part of the calendar, I "scrapbook" on some family photos from the past year.  Our family takes an annual family camp trip together and it's fun to use these photos because many of them are scenic as well.  Last year I used two or three 4x6's photos and this year I'm using one 5x7 and maybe a 4x6.  I add a little scrapbook paper behind it, and embellishment or stickers.  And I add a quote, and sometimes a quote and scripture that goes together. 

I just finished one and sent it off to my missionary daughter, so all of 2009 she will enjoy pictures of her mission from 2007 and 2008, even after she comes home in February.  It's a great gift and only costs about $3.00 each.  I had 2 of my daughters express concern already if they are getting one for next year, so I know they loved them.  I also started making them for extended family, so it's an economical way for me to give a unique gift that can be enjoyed all year long, and saved as a memoir for years to come.

Peggy in Oregon

Great idea, Peggy. And if you're looking for inspirational quotes on any subject, Google will help you. Search for “quotes on love” or “quotes on experience,” or whatever you're looking for, and you'll find more quotes than Bartlett could ever use.

Our family's "most memorable Christmas" is the one that cost us only $20. I had bought patterns for rag dolls in September and with a box of scraps from sewing for years, I had a good start on a precious gift for my two teen-age girls. It was inspired by the cute clown doll my mother had made for me in one of her "lean" years. I treasure it still and knew my girls would like anything I made for them.

The three little ones were a girl, age 5, and boys, age 4 and 2. I made the girl and the oldest boy "Raggedy Ann” and “Andy” dolls with a new pattern costing $3. My husband bought a piece of white Pellon and used permanent markers to draw streets and lawns and other landmarks on it. He went to Grandpa's house and got wood from the scrap bin and used Grandpa's jigsaw to cut houses, cars and trucks. These he painted them with about $8 of tempera paints and some leftover Varithane from Grandpa's garage. That took care of the boys. He also cut out some birds and people and made string marionettes, which he painted, and hung them from a cross-stick using fish line.

I also made them each a pair of pajamas from scraps in my sewing box. It was a very happy Christmas. The next year was better financially and we kinda spoiled them with quite a few store-bought gifts, but a few years later, the meager Christmas is the one they talked about and delighted in remembering.
 
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Thanks for a great suggestion, Curly-Haired Stick Figure! (Has anyone ever said you very closely resemble the dolls you made?)

I even found some rag doll patterns for free at

As a side note, I have fond memories of one of those little mats with towns painted on them, where we could drive our toy cars and have a birds-eye view of the world. What a creative idea for a gift for little children!

My father loved to do crossword puzzles, and he was very good at them. There was a catch; he only worked the puzzles that came from Chicago newspapers. After a retirement move, Dad lived hours away from  Chicago and did not have easy access to his favorite hobby.

One year my sister, Mary, saved every puzzle from her Chicago newspaper subscription and boxed them up to give to Dad on Christmas Eve. Think about this now. He must have been in her thoughts every day for an entire year. I don't know even if she realized how huge this was. That was beyond just a present; it was a true gift. I was more than touched and he was a happy man.

S.M. Ellis

What a wonderful idea, S.M.! That was truly a gift of time and love.

Some ways my family has enjoyed Christmas on a shoestring:

• This doesn't always work with teenagers, but younger children will have a wonderful Christmas if they can be involved in the preparations: cooking, decorating, making homemade decorations, cards, gifts, and so on. (Sometimes, when everyone else is having fun, a reluctant teenager will join in.)
• Have a tree-trimming "party;" then sing carols and have refreshments.
• Attend any and all Church and community Christmas programs.
• Make a night-time excursion to see the lights.
• Make a birthday cake for Jesus and sing "Happy Birthday" to Him on Christmas Eve.

One of our favorite traditions is popcorn balls ! They are good to eat, can be a fun family project, are attractive as decorations, make nice gifts and they are cheap :

Popcorn Balls

I always make a double batch with red food coloring and a double batch with green, but the syrup gets hard fast, so when making a double batch you have to work very quickly or have a helper. I like to package them individually in fold-top sandwich bags.

Enjoy your family and your Christmas,

A great-grandmother from the Frederick Maryland Ward

Thanks for a great recipe, Great-Grandmother! Just a note for all of you who may want to try this, but who aren't accustomed to making candy: Do not make popcorn balls when it's raining, or they'll be sticky. Wait for a dry day to do this project.

My family has also had many Christmases where the money was low but the spirit and love (and happiness and memories) were high.  My suggestion is to be honest with everyone and tell them something like, “Cash is tight this year, so we're going to focus on only our children this year.  We hope next year we can participate with friends ? we know you'll understand.  Please don't buy us anything.” 

Then you are going to have to use your head more than your checkbook.  Think of your talents and how you can stretch small things to big.  Have you always had a flair for cooking, decorating, crafting, sewing, knitting or crocheting?  Time to hit the library and look for small, inexpensive, fast projects.  Gift coupons of service (promise backrubs or trips to the zoo), packaged in beautiful creative ways are always a hit.  Get out your decorations and put them up early. 

Participate in all the free things your community offers ? Christmas musicals, sing-alongs, tours of lighted neighborhoods.  Check out Christmas library books to read to/with your kids.  Very few kids care much about the dollar amount. What they really want is you and your time and love.  

Think about what you have, not what you don't!  One year I did Christmas for three kids with $50, and we still had a great time together.  (If you have family members and friends with special talents you might invite them to help you if they can fit it into their time.)

A close friend last year made a family recipe book for her nieces.  She included a picture of the person in the family connected with the recipe.  It was a huge hit.

from a Santa's Elf

Thanks for your suggestions, Elf. And if you can put a bug in the Fat Man's ear, I'd like gainful employment for Christmas.

The recipe book sounds like lots of fun. I still have a recipe box with recipe cards from relatives that were collected when I graduated from high school in 1968. The box was hand-painted, and the recipes run the gamut of family favorites. These days, many people keep their recipes on the computer. If you're a computer savvy cook, you could make a DVD of all those recipes and put it in a festive holder to present to cooks in your family.

Idea for a husband present:

Get a free agenda from the bank and give it to your husband, with a card saying that you'll fill in each day of the coming year with a kind, or grateful, or positive thought, or how you saw God's hand in your lives (Pres. Eyring Conf. Talk:-)…

If you feel like it, you could give these to others and challenge them to fill it in themselves as a present to themselves over the year!

Baci e abbracci from Italy

What a great thought, Italy ! I especially like the idea of having people fill out the calendars themselves. You could make a calendar ( www.calendarsthatwork.com may help you out) and have people do a mini-journal by writing in some inspirational thought every day.

P.S. Hugs and kisses to you, too.

Our last letter today is from a wife and mother who has a whole lot of experience doing Christmases on a shoestring, because she does it every year. Here's what she has to say:

Christmas on a shoestring — that's how every Christmas is at our house. We have eight children and a massive student loan debt. We barely squeak by, but my husband does extra to earn some money for Christmas. Usually he coaches university club sports, but last year when we lived in another state that didn't have a team, he donated plasma eight times! Happily, we moved this year and he can coach again. Coaching brings in only a few hundred dollars, and our children (16 months to 18 years old) always know what that budget is by November.

This year we told the kids we have $30 to spend on each child. The younger kids are told that while Santa does the shopping and delivery, he needs to send us the bill to pay. Some years we've been able to spend up to $50/child. But no one is upset — they just know this is how our life is.

The kids make their lists (we tell them to just write down everything, so we can pick and choose). We don't watch TV, so they don't know what's really trendy — thank goodness! Then my husband and I go to work, usually on the Internet. For example, many of our kids love books and movies, so we shop for them on eBay and Amazon. Most of what we buy is used. While others may balk at that, we all realize that nothing that comes into our small, crowded home in new condition actually stays that way!

My son won't be afraid to use the Star Wars cookbook if it's already been broken in a bit. So far I've purchased about $350 worth of books for less than $45 online (shipping included!).

We also shop at second-hand stores. I don't do as well at those, since we really don't buy many clothes, but I'm hoping to find a piano bench and ski boots there before Christmas.

We also shop only when there are good deals. A store in our area regularly has toy sales with buy one, get another half off. That's where we get the toys for the little ones.

Dollar stores round out our shopping. Everyone likes a good puzzle to build over Christmas, or some fun pencils.

We also make treats for our neighbors — usually large pretzel rods dipped in caramel, then chocolate. Fancy candy stores sell whole rods for several dollars each. We break our rods in half (easier to make and package that way) and for about $1.50/bag for pretzels, $2 caramels, $1.75 for chocolate, we can make enough “gourmet” rods for the whole neighborhood, and they are soooo good!

It's going to be very difficult, I imagine, to go from a more expensive holiday to less, but being honest with everyone about the financial situation makes it much easier, and also makes it more of a game. The challenge is in finding that one item for less money than anyone else would normally pay!

My husband will be getting a Christmas bonus of a few hundred dollars (we've never worked a job where we get bonuses! Exciting!), and he plans to give each child $5 to spend on one sibling. Already the kids are planning what meaningful item they can find for each other on that budget. One child is waiting for a favorite fabric store to have a $1.99 sale on their patterns so a sister who loves to sew can receive a couple of fancy dress patterns. Clever idea!

Extended family members get cards with a photo. Grandparents get photos, too. None of them really need anything else, so why should we try to impress them with money we don't have? What good does that do, but to our pride?

Over the years we've discovered additional joys of Christmas — staying out of debt , deeply thinking about each individual and what small item would make him happy, doing things together like making the treats or helping smaller children buy that special gift for their sibling, and seeing the pure happiness of our kids when they open their 3-4 presents on Christmas and are amazed at how much $30 spent bargain shopping really can net. Each year the kids say what a great Christmas it was, and how they received more than they thought they would. What a miracle!

Christmas is all in the attitude! And because of free agency, we get to choose our attitudes — what a great gift!

Trish Mercer
Hyrum, Utah

Thanks for some great ideas, Trish. I'm thinking I might try the caramel-dipped pretzel rods, because the chocolate-coated bacon wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Thanks, too, for reminding us that the peace of mind you get from staying out of debt may be better than anything else under the tree.

We could go on forever with this topic, as my bulging mailbox can attest. But it's time to move on, I'm afraid. If you haven't seen your letter yet, fear not! I'm holding over the rest of your great ideas until next December. Thanks for writing, all of you. You're the circle that makes Circle of Sisters work.

Until next time ? Kathy

To give of oneself is a holy gift.

President Howard W. Hunter