Homemade Holiday Gifts: Part 3

I think this is my favorite part of giving food for gifts: the packaging. There’s so many fun options out there, and I really enjoy choosing every aspect of how the food will be presented.

I like to package each recipe in their own bag, so my cellophane bag collection over the years has gotten a bit crazy. I decided this year is going to be a de-clutter year for sure, which is SO hard…so many cute designs out there! My favorite places to buy these printed cellophane bags are at the Dollar Tree, World Market and Michaels (Wilton brand).

After that, I just simply choose some sort of box or tin to put everything in. When it comes to tins, I really love to purchase them at Hobby Lobby, especially when they’re 50% off that week (since they can be a bit spendy), because they come in many different sizes and so many different varieties of prints. I prefer to purchase smaller boxes/tins for coworkers and large boxes/tins for neighbors/families to share. 🙂

The ones on the left are treat bags (box material in a bag shape) from Wal-Mart, which were VERY affordable…3 for $1! The ones on the right, believe it or not, were from TJMaxx.

I also went to World Market a while ago, and found these. I love the box material bags (obviously)…they look perfect for stacking cookies, and I think the parchment paper would work well to separate flavors or just act as a sort of food safe tissue paper in boxes/tins. 🙂

I’m also a big fan of wax paper with baker’s twine. I’ve used that in the past as well, and I think it works well (especially for stickier foods).

Another pointer…if you want to get a little bit ahead and purchase your packaging for next year, check out the post-Christmas clearance! Some places, like Target, go down to 90% off on decor.

So, to show what I’ve done in the past for gifts, here’s a couple of pictures of gifts from previous years…

Two years ago, I wrapped oreo truffles in foil wrappers (usually found in the candy-making aisle of a craft store), and wrapped cookies in clear cellophane bags. The marshmallows on the right were wrapped in wax paper.

Last year, I purchased these adorable boxes at Target (in the dollar bin area), and stuffed them with fudge, elf’s mix & decorated cookies. Below, I made a large tray for my husband’s office, which contained elf’s mix, eggnog cranberry bread, decorated cookies, fudge and candy cane biscotti (which I realize I never posted last year…oops). To cover it all, I just wrapped each gift in cellophane wrap (found at Dollar Tree).

In case you missed it, here’s the other posts in my mini-series:

Homemade Holiday Gifts: Part 1 (the prep)
Homemade Holiday Gifts: Part 2 (the recipes)

Thanks so much for following this mini-series, and I hope you consider making some food gifts this year. 🙂 Not only is it a great excuse to bake (and get rid of the food), family/friends will definitely enjoy the personal touch on homemade gifts!