This year I am unable to afford to buy all my family members a Christmas gift cause I am preparing for when our child is born. My family is very understanding. They have been there for me and would still love to buy each family a gift that can be used toward the rest of their family. Just no individual gifts. I am trying to think of one gift per family that is inexpensive but can go for Mother, Father and children. I am not a good cook so baking something is out of the question. I've read that putting photos in frames makes good gifts but every photo that I take of my family I either email them or burn a copy of the photos on a disk so that they can have. BTW I don't have any children of my own who can make cute stuff to give as gifts. Does anyone have any other ideas?
Thank Everyone for your great ideas. I think I'm going to go for the movie night gift. I've got lots of great ideas from everyone and appreciate everyone for their input. :) Thanks again :)
Make a movie gift pack. Popcorn, candy and a small 5-10 giftcard for the video store. At a dollar store here they sell plastic dishes decorated like a popcorn dish for only $1.
Find a place, maybe in the mall, that sells ornaments and find one with a family then have them paint all names of the family members on it.
or
a family board game might be fun!
My SIL just gave our family Brownie mix in a jar. The jar has the flour, sugar, chocolate, and green and red M&Ms. There was directions in the top of the jar for us to add butter and eggs. No cooking necessary on your part and who doesn't love Brownies? Googling Brownies (or Cookie mix) in a jar will hopefully get you the recipe.
Have fun!
A.
Family/Date Night In (I did this last year for Christmas)
In the basket/bag: 1) A Movie (fingers crossed they do not own it or have not seen it), 2) A bag or two of microwave popcorn (or how many ever you think the family of a certain size needs), 3)Hot chocolate (enough for each person to have one cup). 4) chocolate cover pretzel sticks.
For the movies you can check a half price book store or sales.
Buy a big box or two of microwavable popcorn (divide up as you see fit).
Buy a few boxes of hot chocolate (have enough for every family member to have one cup).
For the chocolate covered pretzels sticks, I bought the thicker pretzel sticks, melted semi-sweet chocolate and dipped the pretzels in chocolate. Let dry in frdige (should not take more then an hour) then put in ziplock or clear candy bag. Could also put sprinkles on them while the chocolate is still wet to add an extra touch.
For couples I bought mugs for them too, but that can start to get pricey for a larger family.
Gift certificates to the local pizza place are great- after the holidays people are usually too tired to cook. A pizza per family will run you under $15, but you could do $10 per family and they can make-up the difference! If pizza isn't their thing, you could do Chinese or McDonald's- whatever "junky treat" they like!
Anne's idea is cute, inexpensive and great for the whole family! You'll have about $10 in each jar til you buy the jars and all of the ingredients. There you go! All bases covered :) AND if they choose not to eat the mix, they make a great deco all year long :) Congratulations on your soon arrival!
One year we all received a scarf for christmas. The maker purchased fleece material in a style for the individual. Cut the material about 8 inches wide and whatever length you want and then at the end cut slits 1/2 inches in width. Then take two of them togheter and make a not so it doesn't un ravel or such. That's it, quick and easy, fits each personality or fav color, not too expensive as you are buying a small amount of fabric. If you want to add to that you could put in a box of hot cocoa or candy canes.
Board games! if they are older children, Banana Grams is a favorite for my family, and it's only around $15.00
restaurant or harry and david style gift cards, whatever you can afford with a note to enjoy as "special family meal"
movie tickets? or maybe a movie night bag with microwave popcorn and canday and a blocbuster/netflix gift card
You could make each family a christmas ornament for their tree. They have the glass balls. Paint, glue on rhinestones or other things. Make them individual for each family and put the year. You don't really need any "talent" to paint them as they can be abstract! It is very economical.
A few of my friends have decided to draw names at Christmas. This has helped to elevate the cost significantly. Just a suggestion. Good luck and Merry Christmas.
L.
are you "crafty" at all? something you make is usually appreciated by everyone. my whole (extended) family reads so I make everyone bookmarks or cell phone/backpack lanyards if they're not a reader. I can share with you how easy it is, if this strikes your need. It costs less than $2 each and will still be a personlized gift to each individual.
The big tins of popcorn can be a hit! Our family gets excited when we get one. We love the carmel and the cheese popcorn.
You don't have to be a cook to put together something delicious. What about a jug of apple cider and a bag of cinnamon sticks? A tin of tea and two mugs? A bag of chips and and dip mix?
How about a family movie DVD (you can find lots of good oldies on sale at the store nowadays) and microwave popcorn?
This year we made calendars. We selected 12 photos and used fedex.com. It only cost $12 per calendar and they are easy to make. You just select the background, pick the photo and the program places it. You can also add family birthdays, anniversaries and special dates for no charge. You don't need any artistic skill to do it! It's a great personalized gift, and our parents look forward to receiving one every year.
