There may be nothing quite as thoughtful as a handmade gift. My mom and youngest sister are sewing many Christmas gifts this year. Last year, my mom made me the cutest flannel nightshirt; it was red with little cups of steaming hot cocoa on it, and extra-roomy for my then pregnant belly.

Another year, my sister created the most amazing velvet Christmas tree skirt for us and my mom made us an adorable angel tree-topper. This year, when it was time to take out the decorations, baby got a hold of the angel and pulled off much of her curly, blonde hair and halo. Fortunately, I was able to fix her!

Most years, the boys and I make handmade ornaments for family members. With such a tight budget this year, handmade ornaments would be perfect, but things are much busier with baby in the picture and we haven’t gotten around to it. Last year, we made beaded candy cane ornaments, which are very easy to make:

bend craft wire in the shape of a cane
thread beads, alternating red and white (be sure to tie a knot at the bottom so your beads don’t slip right off)
then tie a festive ribbon around the middle.
You can add a standard wire hanger or a simple loop of wire for hanging.

We made similar wreath-shaped ornaments, using wire shaped in a circle, green beads in alternating light and dark green, and a bow.

We also made a couple of different ornaments from inexpensive Martha Stewart kits I bought from Michael’s. Her line of craft supplies and kits are great—I highly recommend them for any holiday, birthday or just for fun.

There’s still time for making simple projects such as these; people always appreciate the thoughtfulness and time spent, especially when little kids’ fingers did the work!

I’m looking forward to seeing the amazing things my mom and sis are crafting this year. I also love the handmade gifts the kids make in school.

Gifts made with love, “especially for you” are always the ones I treasure most. Do you have any handmade treasures you’ve received over the years? Are you making any gifts by hand this year?