If you have a long Christmas list this year, consider giving the gift of homemade goodies. Your bag, basket, or box can be filled with your special baked goods, candies, and cookies. The nice thing about this basket is that you can make it as frugal as you need it to be. Breads and cupcakes are less expensive to make than fudge and candies. Find a combination that fits your budget and start baking.
I made eight goody boxes this year for the families in our Bible study. I used shirt boxes lined with tissue paper, but in years past I used paper plates, Christmas dishes, tins, and baskets. It usually depends on what I am able to purchase on clearance after Christmas the year before.
Our boxes were filled with:
- Lemon Poppy Seed Bread (mini-loaves)
- Hershey Kisses Cookies
- Buckeyes
- Carmel Corn (so easy, recipe coming next week)
- Cupcakes
- Sugar Cookie Cut-outs
Plain white shirt boxes work well too. Wrap them or leave them plain and tie a pretty bow around the box. My friend Myra has an awesome tutorial for tying beautiful bows. Your friends will think you spent a million bucks having their gift wrapped!
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Okay, it seems as though you could possibly be my soulmate. Sorry…this is the first of your posts that I’ve read (I’m a new Twitter follower) and you’ve made the same items I’m making to give to neighbors and friends this Christmas. And I’m using shirt boxes.
I *just* made my sugar cookies, they’re cooling on the counter and I plan to decorate them tomorrow while I cook caramel popcorn! I’ll also be making peanut butter cups…a family favorite…all the men in my life expect those now.
Very nice job on these gifts. I would love to receive something like that! Lovely.
Jaime
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Your boxes look very much like what we bake to give away around here except for the cupcakes and caramel corn. Everything else is a favorite that gets made and given away every year. Never thought of the shirt boxes. Great idea!
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Awee Toni those are pretty. I give homemade gift baskets every year. I have gift bags on the counter right now packed with homemade goodies for all my kiddos teachers and the little girls mom we sit for. I love giving gifts from my kitchen.
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i am so doing this…. snow this weekend equals baking day!!!
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Putting the goodies in a gift box is such a great idea! And you have filled them with such yummy treats. I may have to use this idea for neighbor gifts this year! Love it! Thank you for the post.
~Lynette
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I have been baking, too, but instead of cookies I’ve been baking one loaf of bread (sometimes 2) each day for the last couple of weeks for the neighbors, relatives and friends. I try to prepare it just in time for supper and drop it off at their house for them to enjoy at their evening meal.
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TheHappyHousewife Reply:
December 18th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Great idea Tonya! I hope you stopped by my parent’s house with a loaf of bread!
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Lawanna Reply:
December 18th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
I’ve been doing that too….I made bread for the kid’s teachers at school. Now I need to start making them for friends and neighbors. It’s been a big hit. I just wrote about it and other gift ideas here: http://moneysavinghabits.com/2009/12/15/gifts-from-the-heart/
(PS….where did you find the shirt boxes — and can I ask how much they were? I always thought I couldn’t justify the cost of boxes, but those look really nice.)
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Oh, the lemon poppy seed bread sounds delish! And what a cute gift idea! LOVE IT!!!
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It looks beautiful! Especially the sugar cookies
The peanut butter blossoms are a yearly Christmas tradition at my house. We always make them and take them to the Christmas dinners at our families houses. The recipe make so many! Getting ready to look at the lemon poppy seed recipe!
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I enjoyed seeing the Star of David cookies in your gift boxes.
Michele (one of your Jewish readers
)
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TheHappyHousewife Reply:
December 18th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Thanks!
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Love this idea! I had four families left on my list that I needed to do “something” for and this is perfect! Our local donut shop uses beautiful “shirt -sized” boxes and tomorrow my sweet husband is going to try and buy/bribe some off of them
Thanks for the idea!!!!!!
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Somebody's Mimi Reply:
December 19th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
You might mention to the donut shop that by using their boxes it is FREE advertising for them!
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How are you NOT getting smooshy cupcakes? Cupcakes are so easy, but I can never figure out how to gift them without a mess!
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TheHappyHousewife Reply:
December 19th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
I let them sit out for a day (covered) before I put them in the box. The frosting firmed up pretty nicely and they didn’t get smooshed at all.
Thanks for asking!
Toni
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Love this! I’ve never thought of using shirt boxes! Growing up, we always did plates of goodies. This year I’m using Christmas goodie bags that I bought on sale at Hobby Lobby. I just put the cookies, fudge etc in ziplocs inside the pretty bags.
Thanks for the mention and link love too!
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I hope I find one of these boxes under my tree. I actually have baked cookies this year for the first time in many … I’m planning to do more this week. I bought my containers at the DollarTree. I absolutely LOVE getting homemade sugar cutout cookies with icing for ANY gift… was that a loud enough hint???
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TheHappyHousewife Reply:
December 20th, 2009 at 12:12 am
loud and clear….
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Love your gift boxes! They are beautiful! I love to have the kids and I make up gift bags/boxes, etc. to give out each year. Last year we did it secretly to neighbors in bags and this year in treat boxes. Love to get the c0ntainers on sale, too!
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