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Make Your Own Holiday Gift Baskets

September 28, 2009 By PoorSanta

If you have several people you need holiday gifts for this year and more time than money on your hands, consider making some homemade gourmet or spa gift baskets. With proper planning, these impressive and thoughtful gifts, can be made at relatively low cost .

To effectively assemble a number of baskets at minimum cost, just takes a little planning. Adopting a less is more approach, will help ensure that you are able to maintain quality and attractiveness of presentation. Two-three well executed and packaged items can make a lovely gift.

Poor Santa has been able to find all necessary packaging materials for holiday gift baskets at local dollar stores. Most carry small baskets, gift bags, jars, cellophane wrap, tissue paper, tins, ribbons and gift tags. Of course you will probably not need all of these items for your project, planning ahead will avoid extraneous purchases.

Now for the contents of your holiday baskets…

For gourmet baskets consider these, as well as, your own specialties:
Homemade Jams or Jellies
Dessert breads
Cookies/Biscotti
Cocoa or Mulling spice mixes
Candies
Flavored syrups

Spa basket suggestions:
Bath Salts (Lavender Bath Salts)
Sachets
Candles
Cloved Fruits

To keep costs down, whenever possible, use seasonal ingredients for your baskets.  If you have a favorite craft or recipe, try and integrate it into your baskets. When planning your Christmas gift baskets, the choice of contents is all up to you, but having a theme or at least assembling items which relate to each other, will ensure successful results.

poinsettas

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3 Kid’s Crafts for Holiday Decorating.

September 24, 2009 By PoorSanta

Don’t let Christmas money problems ruin your good time. Fun, inexpensive craft projects, not only make for some great memories to share with your children, but can also supply you with some very special holiday decorations.

1. Simple pieces of construction paper, or even printer paper can readily be made into personalized placemats, or place cards. Even very young children can create these, and each person will have a lovingly crafted art work awaiting them at the table.

2. Have a tree decorating party with your kids. Gather supplies such as, cardboard, construction paper, glue, glitter, sequins, buttons, feathers, pinecones, string, ribbon, toilet paper/paper towel tubes and pipecleaners, whatever you have around the house, that looks interesting, will do. Let the kids go wild!

3. Older kids can handsew their own holiday character pillows. Proudly display the result, imperfection and all, that’s the charm of it.

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Poor Santa’s Gourmet Banana Jam Recipe

September 24, 2009 By PoorSanta

Banana Jam is a delicious and unusual gourmet Christmas gift, you can easily make yourself. Not only is this kind of jam not available commercially, but bananas are one of the few fruits which are still inexpensive in the colder months. Don’t be daunted by the canning process, it is really quite easy, especially for jams and jellies. Jelly jars can be purchased at most grocery and department stores and are not very expensive. They commonly come in boxes of twelve and include lids and blank labels.

Poor Santa’s Yummy Banana Jam Recipe for Christmas

 

3 quarts. (12 c.) sliced ripe bananas (approx. 12-14 bananas)
6c. Sugar
1 ½ c. orange juice (can be substituted with pineapple juice if you prefer)
¾ c. lemon juice
Optional: ½ tsp. cinnamon

  • Prep jars:
    Place jars& lids in a large pan & just cover with water. Bring water just to a boil, then shut it off. Jars are now ready for use.

 

  • Make the jam:
1. Combine all ingredients in a large kettle or stockpot.
2. Place over medium heat & stir until sugar completely dissolves.

3. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened (approx. 15 min.)

4. Ladle jam into hot jars and seal.

5. You will know jars are sealed when you hear them “ping”, after this the lid will look pushed in, rather than bowing out.

These go great in gift baskets, since they don’t have to be refridgerated.  They also make a nice gift, for a teacher, neighbor, postman or as a small hostess gift.  Wrap it in tulle and add a bow for festive flair.

PS. This is great over ice cream or  with biscotti, not just for PB&J.

 

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Old Fashioned Salt Dough: A Fun and Inexpensive Christmas Craft

September 24, 2009 By PoorSanta

Here is a fun Christmas craft, which is low cost and durable. Old fashioned salt dough makes for a great kid’s craft, and you get some very inexpensive holiday decorations, to boot. Kid’s can even make gifts for the family. Due to the high salt content, once dry the dough is hard and resistant to mold, decay & bacteria, so creations can be displayed for years.

Recipe for Old Fashioned Salt Dough

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

1 cup water
1 tbs. lemon juice (this can be omitted, if you don’t have any)

 

Mix all ingredients. Knead dough for about 10 minutes, then let stand for about 20 minutes. Now you are ready to model the dough.

Get creative, anything you could make with modeling clay or play dough, can be made with this, only these Christmas creations will last for years not hours. Try making Santa, candy canes, reindeer & Christmas trees, maybe you could make a whole manger scene. Cookie cutters & kid’s play dough equipment will work fine with the salt dough, but you will find your hands work best of all.When you have finished modeling your holiday creations, they need to dry. Either set them out in a warm dry spot for 2-3 days, or bake in the oven for 3-4 hours at 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Once hardened, paint with inexpensive craft paint, then varnish or lacquer once the paint is fully dry. After the varnish dries, your Christmas craft is ready to display or gift.
 
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Making Bath Salts for Holiday Gifts

September 24, 2009 By PoorSanta
Bath salts make can a wonderful inexpensive holiday gift, especially when you make then yourself.  This craft is easy enough to do with your kids this holiday season. This basic recipe can readily be adjusted to make orange, rose, peppermint or other scented bath salts, as well. Poor Santa gets tired after a long day in the toy shop, and loves the soothing smell of lavender bath salts during the Christmas season.

 

Poor Santa’s Lavender Bath Salts Recipe

2 c. epsom salts

2 c. Sea salt

½ c. baking soda

15 drops of lavender essential oil

¼ c. dried lavender blossoms (if not readily available, or you prefer not to use them, substitute a 3-4 drops of purple food coloring)

1. Mix salts together, then mix in baking soda.

2. Add essential oil (and food coloring if not using blossoms) and mix well.

3. Stir in blossoms

4. Fill jars or cellophane bags with salts. Cork or tie with ribbon. Label.

 

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