Why not give homemade gifts this year? Winter is here early and if you feel like staying warm, take the opportunity to make your own gifts that will delight your loved ones (and maybe your pockets, too, if ever...).
To eat: homemade organic granola too good
It's a habit I picked up a few years ago after reading the excellent I create gourmet gifts by Marie Chioca and Delphine Paslin: I take advantage of the Christmas holidays to cook and make some gourmet gifts to offer to my friends and family (note: given the date of the holidays this year it's better to do it in advance!). Among the different gourmet gifts tested, the one I prefer is granola. You can make large quantities at once, the recipes are numerous and it's easy to vary the pleasures, it keeps long enough and it's simply beautiful and comforting, to nibble a little when you want and how you want (on a yogurt, a compote, just like that ...). But above all, the choice of organic and quality products allows you to work on the flavours and offer a source of energy with a lower Glycemic Index than industrial cereals.
So what's the recipe? There are tons of them on the web, but be aware that you can be creative because the principle is simple: a base of flakes (oats, quinoa, wheat, chestnut, etc.), then seeds and oilseeds, a sweetening liquid (honey, agave syrup, maple syrup, etc.), spices, oil to which you add whatever you want (dried fruit - dried strawberries are succulent for example, to be cut into small pieces first! - coconut, chocolate chips, etc.).
To drink: peel teas
Easy to prepare by anticipating it a minimum, the idea was inspired to me by Marie Cochard, author of the recent Our Adventure without the Fridge (Ed. Eyrolles) that I was telling you about at the end of September. Marie is also a peeler specialist and offers four combinations of homemade herbal teas for Christmas: sweet night (with apple peels), cough suppressant (with onion peels), never sick (with lemon peels) or fat-burning (with grapefruit peels this time). The exact recipes can be found here, and as a bonus the Christmas anti-gaspi infusion (made from clementine peels in particular).
The advantage of herbal teas is that the plants grow just about everywhere, and you can find local ingredients to make them. Again, prefer organic herbal teas! If you want to offer flavoured tea or cocoa, there are also many recipes online (cocoa powder can for example be flavoured with spices, dried bananas, etc.), as can sugar, which can be flavoured and offered in a nice container...
To be admired: the terrarium, or puncture-proof plant box
Still trendy and ideal to put a little green in your home without taking your head, terrariums are a good option. Simple to make, you need: a nice glass jar, small pebbles, possibly clay beads, plants (fat, cactus and moss), something to decorate as you like (with figurines, pretty stones, etc.).
To share: the design lamp, trendy and recycled.
In order to be properly lit, why not try your hand at creating a gift of light? You have to come up with a little more elaborate tools for this idea, but it's worth the effort, if I may say so.
To wear: the screen support at the bottom of the bed / sofa.
change a candle, key ring or snood, why not make a useful support for our connected lives? Of course, you have to let go, practice digital detox, etc... But sometimes we like to work or watch a movie at the bottom of the bed or slumped on the couch. And so this is the useful tool that allows you not to heat your device on the cushion or blanket - or even to have a writing surface.