Easy Christmas Gifts to Make and Give
Dec 12 '00
Hello and Happy Holidays! Since I'm a mom on a pretty slender budget this year, I needed some holiday gift ideas that wouldn't strain my pocket book, but would let the receiver know how much I cared. I have a Christmas website where I have posted these 3 ideas; they are among my favorites. I have given each of these to my coworkers, postal carriers and preschool teachers, with wonderful results. I hope you like them! Merry Christmas!
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Snowman Soup
I found the mugs for this at our Big Lots for around a buck each! The remaining ingredients can be had for a few dollars at most! I made the cards on my computer. My coworkers loved them!
The Soup:
1 package hot chocolate mix
3 Hershey Kisses
15 (or so) marshmallows
1 candy cane
Place items in a Christmas mug and attach the following poem.
The Poem:
Was told you've been real good this year
Always glad to hear it
With freezing weather drawing near
You'll need to warm the spirit
So here's a little Snowman Soup
Complete with stirring stick
Add hot water, sip it slow
It's sure to do the trick!
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Cake in a Coffee Mug
This recipe was given to me by an online friend.
1 cake mix...any flavor
1 (4 serving size) instant pudding mix (not sugar free), any flavor
Place dry cake mix and dry pudding into a large bowl and blend well with a
whisk. This will be about 4 to 4½ cups dry mix and will make 8-9 coffee cup cake mixes. Place ½ cup dry mix into a sandwich bag. Place mix into a corner of the bag and tie it there with a twist tie. Continue making packets until all your dry mix is used.
Flavor ideas:
Lemon Cake Mix-lemon pudding
Devils food cake mix-chocolate pudding
Pineapple cake mix-coconut pudding
Butterscotch cake mix-butterscotch pudding
Select a large coffee cup. Check to make sure it holds 1½ cups of water.
That way you will be sure you have bought the size the recipe calls for. It can't have any metallic paint on it because it will be used in the
microwave. Places like Wal-Mart and craft stores sell plain cups. Decorating the cups: Paint on the cup if you like. DecoArt Ultra Gloss Acrylic Enamel is one brand of craft paint that can be made dishwasher safe by baking the painted cup in the oven. Instructions are on the bottle of paint.
Glaze Mix
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1½ tsp. dry flavoring (such as powdered lemonade mix, powdered orange breakfast drink mix. cocoa powder)
Select the flavoring appropriate to the cake you are making. For the pineapple coconut cake include flaked coconut in a separate bag with instructions to sprinkle it over the frosted cake. Place the glaze mix ingredients into a sandwich bag and tie into corner of
bag. Label this bag "glaze mix" and attach it to the other bag with a twist tie. Place one baggie cake mix and one baggie glaze mix in each coffee cup. Now attach the instructions.
Attach this to the Cup:
Bake a cake in a coffee cup. Generously spray inside of coffee cup with cooking spray. Empty contents of large packet into cup. Add 1 egg white, 1 Tbsp. oil, 1 Tbsp. water to dry mix. Mix 15 seconds, carefully mixing in all the dry mix. Microwave on full power 1 minute (you may not get the satisfactory results in a low wattage small microwave). While cake is cooking, place ingredients from "Glaze Mix" into a very small container and add 1½ tsp. water. Mix well. When cake is done, pour glaze over cake in cup. Enjoy while warm.
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Cinnamon Ornaments
I've made these with children in my 4 year old class, and they turn out wonderful.
cinnamon
white glue
applesauce
rolling pin
cookie cutter
gold thread
straw
Mix 1 cup cinnamon and 1 cup applesauce with 1 Tablespoon of white glue. You want a consistency that can be rolled with a rolling pin but not quite as sticky or it will stick to your counter! Sprinkle counter with cinnamon and roll out dough and cut with cookie cutters. Cut a hole in shape with the straw so you will be able to hang them. Let dry about 24 hours. They shrink as they dry. Cut lengths of gold thread, make loops and hang. they will keep their scent for a few years. Refresh scent with cinnamon fragrance oil as needed.
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