Got some gaps on your gift list? Look no further than your kitchen. Homemade snacks and sweets lend a personal touch — thoughtful, always appreciated and guaranteed not to go to waste. Get the whole family involved in the planning, baking, decorating and wrapping. Try these ideas and recipes:

• Pour Sugar 'n' Spice Nuts into styrofoam cups painted with nontoxic metallic paint. Tie a coordinating ribbon into a bow around the cup.
• Pack Gingerbread Cookie Crisps in divided boxes, such as those used for ornaments, to keep icing from smudging and cookies from breaking in transit.
• Place Cappuccino Fudge in cardboard jewelry boxes. Find them in the gift-wrap aisle or near the jewelry counter, or at storage and paper-goods retailers. Put each piece in a mini cupcake liner, and skip the lid in favor of plastic wrap.
• Top your gifts with metallic twine or festive ribbon tied in a bow. Attach a mini-ornament that can be placed on a tree.
• Wrap your gifts with everything needed to serve. Try this suggestion: Stash cookies in a hatbox with napkins. If the cookies are to be served immediately or put in the refrigerator, place the cookies in a bag with glasses and milk. Buy milk in glass bottles (try gourmet stores or a dairy) for an old-fashioned touch, or buy antique bottles and fill with milk.

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Member Comments

1. Posted 02/12/2009 at 14:09 PM by jodigulay

   These are some wonderful ideas! I'll have to remember them for next Christmas!

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