They say necessity is the mother of invention, especially when prices soar. The holidays can be particularly challenging, sneaking up on us bringing added pressure to spend. We are bombarded by ads for the latest gifts, and store shelves transform into winter wonderlands as soon as school starts in the fall. It can feel overwhelming when the pressure to buy outweighs the joy of giving. The true spirit of the season gets lost. But sometimes that very necessity inspires the most meaningful and appreciated gifts: the homemade kind.
Not everyone can knit, carve, paint, cook, etc., but most of us know someone who might be willing to make something for us or even teach us how. Fall also brings plenty of craft shows, offering a wide range of prices and handmade goods for those who aren’t feeling especially creative. For the less artistically inclined, there are tutorials, kits and Pinterest boards. For those who love history, the possibilities for DIY gifts are endless.
Reproductions of old family pictures can be slipped into a premade ornament or pasted into a collage on a lampshade or tabletop. Shared family recipes can be turned into a self-published cookbook or frameable kitchen art, with a historic photo of the original chef or the family at the table included. The cookie exchange model can be used for reproductions of old family photos and printouts of family stories, allowing everyone o share. Recordings of our family elders sharing stories about a time before we were in the world can be one of the most cherished and irreplaceable gifts.
Gifts that carry our family’s history can also be living mementos. One of my favorites is dividing heirloom bulbs from my garden and passing them along to other gardeners along with a story of where the bulbs have been. Over the years, we’ve moved several times and brought a few bulbs with us, some of which have been cared for by generations before us. Sharing these plants allows us to continue the story with the next generation, creating a living connection to our family’s past.
Of course, we can’t always compete with the hottest new gift directly, but we can enrich our family’s holidays by sharing our collective memories in these and any number of other ways. Make it yourself or get help from a creator you know, but homemade gifts are often the most cherished under the tree.
