Making Christmas card gifts is not very difficult. It requires a little time and some imagination, but the result is an inexpensive message of love and appreciation that is worth far more than it cost to make. That is because the sender has invested their own time into the gift, and everyone knows that time is precious.
Here are a few ideas for the sort of gifts than can be made. These might in turn be a spark for other ideas for gift cards – and they do not need to be restricted to Christmas. They are a great idea for any celebration or anniversary.
Making Simple Home Made Greetings Cards
Seeing intricate or ornate homemade greetings cards can deter people from making their own, because they feel they do not have the skill needed to create something that is comparable.
However, very simple cards can be just as effective and attractive. The recipient is not going judge the sender of a greeting card by the quality of the artistic composition. What they will appreciate is that the sender did more than scrawl their name inside a cheap card bought in a sale box.
A very simple homemade greeting card is sheet of paper folded in half, with a design on the front and some loving words inside. The design might be stencilled, or printed using stamps. It might include small decorative stickers. Making homemade stamps from vegetables or other items does not require a lot of skill and demonstrates a further commitment of time.
Ideas for Making Christmas Card Gifts on a Budget
The homemade greetings card is, in itself, a small gift. It can be added to it by enclosing a little extra, such as a photograph or a voucher.
Digital technology allows photographs to be duplicated relatively inexpensively. Old family photographs are a rich source of gift ideas because many have been forgotten or overlooked. Spending a couple of hours going through old family albums or boxes of photographs could unearth a treasure trove of gift ideas that will bring smiles to faces as memories come flooding back.
Putting a voucher inside a card does not mean spending money. A voucher can also be homemade and it could for something as simple as an offer to wash a car or to cook a meal, or simply a promise to pop in for a cup of coffee. A voucher can be personalized to suit the recipient, giving the potential for it to be even more special.
Any greeting card gift that is handmade, and includes a gift that is handmade, represents an investment of personal time. To most people this investment is worth far more than the money spent on buying a gift off the shelf. At a time when personal finances are stretched, making and sending homemade cards and gifts is both economical and carries much more meaning.