Homemade Gifts for Family Members Who are Away Articles | Christmas

By: Liam

Families love to spend the holidays together.  Sometimes, circumstances are such that family members aren’t able to be present in the same place during Christmas.  There are many reasons that some family members can’t be together during the holidays.  If they are in the military, they could be stationed overseas.  Family members who are ill may find it hard or not possible to travel long distances. 

When situations arise that keep families separated don’t let it stop you from making those who can’t be with you feel they are still a part of the celebration!  Homemade gifts sent to them through the mail will help you to accomplish this.  Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Do you own a video camera?  Create a holiday video for far away family members.  Each person can talk about how much they miss them and send their own personal message of love.  Kids can drop hints about what they want for Christmas too.  If you haven’t seen the person in awhile, talk about what has changed in your life to get them up to speed.

Along the same line as videos are scrapbooks.  Scrapbooks are like a hyped up photo album.  They can contain funny sayings, neat designs, and other added ornamentation that you wouldn’t find in a photo album. 

Scrapbooks can be about the person who is missing, about their family back home, or both.  Each person can create a miniature scrapbook of themselves to send.  Scrapbooks contain magazine clippings, announcements, and other keepsakes not just photographs.  Use your imagination and come up with new ideas that will make the gift special for the family member who can’t be with you.

If you decide to send edible homemade gifts, be sure to check on the requirements for shipping those gifts.  Not everything travels well through the mail.  If the gift is breakable like cookie mixes in jars, they must be wrapped well with bubble wrap to prevent accidents during shipping.  You’ll also want to be sure you send the gifts early enough so that they arrive on time.  Check with your local post office to find out how much time you should give for the package to arrive.

Homemade accessories like scarves, hats, and gloves are easy to ship and even kids can make them with a bit of help.  These items are always needed in cold weather.  Using solid color yarn will make them more versatile with different outfits.

Certain homemade gifts can be too large or bulky to send in one piece.  Package the gift in separate parts and send instructions for constructing it on the other end.  This can actually be fun for the family member receiving the gift.

Speaking of fun, jigsaw puzzles provide hours of brain boggling fun.  Create your own using a blow up of a family portrait.  Glue the picture to a piece of cardboard and cover it with clear contact paper.  Create different shapes in the picture and cut them out.  Paste a smaller copy of the picture on the top of the gift box so that the person reassembling it will know what the completed puzzle should look like.

Homemade crafts are appreciated by family near and far.  By sending homemade gifts you help the miles separating you seem closer and the heart warming thoughts put into the gifts will show no matter how far apart you are.