Easy Christmas Gifts

You may have a huge Christmas gift list, but with a few easy Christmas gift ideas you'll breeze through your preparations in time to really have a good holiday this Christmas season.

So, put on your Christmas music, decorate the tree, and let's have some fun.

One of the easiest things you can do is make mixes, package them in pretty glass containers or mason jars, and hang a gift tag on them. You can wrap with a bit of tissue paper if this is something that's going to sit under the tree a while. If you're going to a party and plan to hand the gift to your host, why not leave it unwrapped and just attach a few pretty, colorful ribbons?

Here are a few ideas:

1. Soup mix: 2 cups instant mashed potato flakes, 1+1/2 cups dry milk powder, 2 tablespoons vegetarian bullion granules, 2 teaspoons dried minced onion, 1+1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt, 1/8 teaspoon turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon thyme, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon parsley. Attach instructions: "Add one cup boiling water to 1/2 cup soup mix and stir."

2. Hot cocoa mix: 3 cups powdered milk, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa, 3/4 cup powdered sugar. Mix, place in a pretty glass container. Attach instructions: "8 oz. boiling water plus 4 tablespoons hot cocoa mix make an excellent after-dinner drink. Marshmallows optional."

3. Spice tea mix: 3 cups instant tea, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground cloves, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 2 teaspoons dried and ground orange peel (optional). Instructions: "Use as needed to chase away the blues."

4. Baking mix: 9 cups flour, 1/4 cup baking powder, 1 tablespoon salt. Mix together. Cut in: 2 cups shortening. Place in mason jars. On gift tag, list ingredients and tell your friend it will last in the refrigerator at least six months. Instructions: "Use like Bisquick to make biscuits or pancakes."

5. Candy in a cup or in a stocking: Buy a coffee cup, put chocolate kisses inside, wrap in tissue paper gathered at the top with a ribbon. Or.. sew a little candy-bar sized Christmas stocking, and slip a nice bar of organic dark chocolate inside.

7. Jar of M&Ms - put them in a mason jar with a ribbon and gift card at the top. Now who wouldn't like that?

1. Decorated Candle: Buy a pillar candle and beautiful ribbons. Wrap decoratively with ribbons. Attach an angel charm.

2. Binder Collage: Buy a binder with a clear plastic cover you can slip paper into. Make a collage of pretty paper, magazine pictures, and photographs. Add quotes you love... and slip your paper inside the front of the binder for a personalized gift.

3. Decoupage Journal: Buy one of those little black and white "composition books" with the hard cardboard cover, or splurge for a nicer hardcover journal. You'll also need fabric and ribbons and decoupage glue. You can use magazine pictures inside the cover, and fabric for the outside. Apply a layer of glue, then your fabric or pictures. Let dry, then apply a layer of decoupage glue, plus ribbons or whatever else you'd like to decorate the outside with. Keep letting your layers dry, then applying more decoupage glue, until everything is set and you know it won't fall apart. This can be very, very pretty!

1. Write a poem about your friend or relative, then make a little book out of it. Write one or two lines on each page and find magazine pictures or photographs to go on the facing page. Use scissors, glue, old magazines, and a good marking pen. It will be unique and memorable!

2. Collect favorite recipes, and put one on each page. Decorate with family photographs or magazine pictures. Photocopy and give a copy to each family member or friend.

3. Write a memoir about a wonderful time you had with your friend. Print it out and put in a book as in the two examples above, or post it to the web with a few photographs. Your friend can enjoy it all year long and will know how much he or she means to you.

1. Make a donation to charity. Then, on all your Christmas cards tell your friends and family you made a donation in their honor. Need ideas for places to make donations to? Try these: Ten Charities That Really Help Children.

2. Tell your friends you will volunteer a day working for the local soup kitchen in their honor. Then do it!

3. Invite your friends to a candlelight prayer session in lieu of Christmas gift exchanges. Everyone should bring their own candles. Choose something important to pray for - like peace on earth or an end to some particular type of suffering that you are concerned about.