For me, it’s not really Christmas unless I create at least one gift by hand.

I started this tradition in my teens, making a robe for my sister. She was so thrilled that I became hooked on creating gifts. One year, I did paper quilling on eggs to create Christmas ornaments. Qulling is a paper art where you wrap tiny strips of paper around a cylinder, then glue them together to form beautiful, lacy shapes and images. Another year, I created Victorian-style ornaments on embroidery hoops. I’ve done pastel drawings, sewn place mats, and created stained glass. This year…well, I can’t reveal what I’ve made, since some of the recipients may be reading this post!

To create a gift from your heart — for any occasion — you need not have a craft-oriented talent. Your gift can be baked or canned goods, or the offer to play cards with an elderly parent while your friends enjoy an evening out, a beautiful hand-planted terrarium, or a poem written and framed or recited especially for your loved ones. Maybe you have the skill to carve a wooden animal, or frame one of your favorite photos taken on vacation. One of my colleagues gives bottles of delicious homemade egg nog.

At one friend’s birthday party, we were all instructed to give only gifts of ourselves. It was a magical event that included poetry and dance, tangible hand-crafted gifts and delicious food. One friend, who was a floral designer, created a stunning yellow and white cake, completely of flowers and ribbon.

The most wonderful thing about such gifts is that its is only limited by your imagination.

So this holiday season, why not let your imagination soar, and give the gift of YOURSELF!

P.S. My egg ornaments were far simpler than the one shown above, but still quite lovely, quartered by red ribbon and quilled holly. If this craft interests you, check out inspiration on Pinterest and click the link above to learn more about this craft.

Originally published in the December 13 issue of Beyond the Nest.