GIFTS EVEN A MAN CAN MAKE

Talking about handmade Christmas gift ideas last night with friends, one of the guys really wanted to make something for his wife, but was feeling intimidated by sewing, crafty kinds of things. Maybe other men out there are struggling with coming up with ideas, too, so here are a few ideas from Punk, the craftiest man in our house (until the kids reach manhood, anyway).



Put together a vehicle emergency kit. Include a flashlight, disposable camera, flares, notebook and pen, and a checklist of what to do in case of an accident. Also include a mini first aid kit- bandaids, gauze, Neosporin, alcohol wipes, and pain reliever. Punk gave these to everyone with a car one year, and put everything into a zippered pouch like banks used to use.

Learn to cook. One year he bought a pasta cookbook and ingredients to make dinner. I was shocked, because he never cooked! He did a great job, and liked doing it so much he did a bunch of other recipes from the book, too. We had a lot of fun cooking together. Still do!



One gift he gave me was a small notebook, after noticing that I was writing notes and lists on scraps of paper and losing them. It was a great gift, and even though it’s filled up now, I still keep it because it’s full of memories of that year. You can buy one, or make one by cutting paper to the size you like and punching holes along one edge- run string or ribbon back and forth through the holes. We use cereal boxes for covers, either covered in fabric or paper, or left as cereal ads. (You can get plain thin cardboard when you buy a new shirt.) The kids love the 3 Rice Krispies guys for theirs. A nice thing to do is to print or write scripture verses, jokes, love notes or whatever on some of the pages. We’ve even printed out coloring pages, tic tac toe boards and mad libs for the boys. Does the recipient like Sudoku or Crosswords? You can find them online for free. I’m in the process of making a book for a friend that is a prayer journal. About half the pages have Bible verses on prayer, comfort, peace, etc. Others are left blank with space for her to write her own thoughts and prayers.

If you have an iMac, make a calendar or photo album. They’re easy, inexpensive and they look really professional. There’s a fun little mini album about the size of a credit card. In iPhoto, click on Book at the bottom to link to the website to see all the options. If you do this one, you’ll need to hurry to get it shipped to you in time for Christmas.

Think about what your special people like: food, animals, sports, fitness, traveling, board games, movies...or what they need, like that notebook! If you're paying attention, the right gift idea will come to mind in no time. Making it personal is what makes it special!

Get crafting, guys!