You can purchase hand-crafted marshmallows in a gourmet store like Williams Sonoma, for $15-$18 or simply make your own. The recipe can be found at http://www.gifts-babies-love.com/homemade-christmas-gifts.html

Place 4-6 marshmallows into a clear plastic bag and tie with a decorative ribbon. Put the marshmallows in decorative fortune cookie boxes (found at your local craft store) or put them in a decorative basket with gourmet hot chocolate and holiday mugs.

Voila! You have gorgeous homemade Christmas gifts that look like they came from an expensive gourmet shop.

Buy an inexpensive plastic picture frame from your local craft store. Gather or buy plastic Barbie doll accessories, beads, jigsaw puzzle pieces, scrapbooking embellishments and other doo-dads that represent the interests of the recipient.

For example, for the gourmet cook, you could use plastic doll cookie sheets and rolling pins. And get some cookbook and baking-themed scrapbooking or card-making accessories from the craft store.

Using hot glue or glue dots, glue the items around

Then put a special poem or message in the frame. Now you've got a show-stopping homemade Christmas gift without the extravagant price tag.

Get several clear mason jars and fill them with this layered soup recipe:

Minestrone Soup in a Jar

1/4 cup red lentils
1/4 cup green split peas
1/4 cup barley
1/3 cup boullion powder
2 TBSP parsley flakes
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. basil
1/4 cup small pasta (macaroni, alphabet pasta or orzo)

Layer the ingredients in the order given (lentils on the bottom). Put a decorative ribbon around the jar.

Attach this card with directions for making the soup:

Combine soup mix and 8-10 cups of water plus 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes in a large pot. Add 1 cup diced carrots and 1/2 cup celery. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for an hour or until vegetables are tender.

Stephanie Gallagher, a.k.a., The Shopping Mom, is the author of several parenting books and Editor of The Shopping Mom's Guide to Baby Gifts, http://www.gifts-babies-love.com. For more easy homemade Christmas gift ideas, see The Shopping Mom's Guide to Baby Gifts at http://www.gifts-babies-love.com.

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