Fun Fact Friday Freebie

Good morning!  Here we are into November.  I'm barely caught up after last Christmas and it's almost upon us again.  I've been thinking about what I'd like to ask you today, and it seems like a good time to ask:

Are you making homemade Christmas gifts this year?  If so, what are you making?

I read something about this recently, and I was surprised at how many people said that homemade gifts weren't much appreciated by the people on their gift lists.  It got me thinking.  (I do this approximately three times per year.  Too much thinking makes my head hurt.)

I can remember being a kid and being disappointed with the knitted slippers I got from my great aunt each year.  I didn't really wear slippers when I was that age, and the ones she made were always kind of itchy.  On the other hand, she made me a sock monkey that was my favorite toy growing up.  As an adult, I don't really know anyone who makes anything homemade.  That seems to be my role in my family/friend group.

I had a friend from college who always made homemade gifts.  She was especially fond of Holly Hobby (if anyone is old enough to remember her--she was popular during the 14th Century).  For my wedding, she made me a Holly Hobby bib-style apron with rick-rack trim.  I still have it and I still use it sometimes--especially if I'm trying to keep spaghetti sauce off a white shirt.  As for the knitted slippers, my grandmother made some for me as an adult.  I took them to the hospital when one of my babies was born.  I remember the nurse admiring them and noting that "Grandma slippers are the best."

No one in my family has ever complained about a homemade gift.  In fact, my sons occasionally ask for a new comforter or a new quilt.  I used to make comforters out of two flat sheets.  I think I made one for every member of the family at one time or another.  They are still going strong decades later, despite all the love they've received.  The quilts are a little more refined, but I don't think they are loved any more than those first comforters were.

For friends and co-workers, I like to make gifts of food most of the time.  Some of my favorites are Winter Bark (from a recipe I found in Martha Stewart Living--super simple), apple turnovers, caramels, fudge, cookies, biscotti, and Cranberry-Orange Bread with Grand Marnier Glaze (from the December, 2006, issue of Sunset).  I especially like the last one.  It is sooooo yummy and moist.  You can make six mini-loaves from this recipe and knock off several gifts in one baking session.  If you don't want to use alchohol, you can substitute orange juice in the glaze.  This year, I'm going to try a new one I found for Peppermint Bark.

For family, I still like gifts made from fabric.  I'm making Pocket Hand Warmers for every person in my family this Christmas.  I blogged about this earlier.  They need to be larger for adult hands, and so I made the squares 6 1/2-inches square, and for the rectangle, I made it 6 1/2-inches x 10-inches, and then added 3/4 cup of rice.  I'm still going to make a couple of iPhone pouches, but I haven't tested those out yet.  I'll blog about it when I do.  Since everyone got a quilt last year, I'm not making any quilt gifts this year.

So, now I'd like to hear from you.  Are you making homemade gifts this year?  And if so, what are you making?

I'm going to put up Mr. Linky again just in case you want to link to a recipe or a pattern.  If you do, simply blog about it and then link to your blog post (not your blog).  If you're not a blogger, feel free to include a link in your comment.  I'm always interested in seeing what you're up to, and I imagine others would like to see it too.

Please, you must leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for the fat quarter.  Followers get two chances, and if you have my Fun Fact Friday Freebie button on your blog, you'll get three chances to win.