Homemade Holiday Presents for the Men of Your Life

Some men enjoy receiving just about anything from wines to shirts to pens to food. It is always amazing to see men who loves food, so in my holiday journey to the country, I always try giving lots of homemade foods like bread, caramel, fruit jelly, chocolate covered peanuts, country-flavored cookies, decorated cookies, and even candies. It brings more fun and accomplishment making homemade goodies for gifts on the holidays than simply buying from gift shops.

If you know them, it would be easy to get ideas of things they like. I sent my boss a hat-sized basket with his favorite CDs, I sealed two movie tickets of the latest movie, in a self-made Christmas envelope and dropped it at my brother's house, the next thing I knew my sister in law had already told everyone how pleased they were about my holiday treat.

There are so many things you can think of that men would like, memo holder, penholder, pen flashlights, hats, garden gloves, sports towelettes, gourmet coffee, mugs, fancy creamers, keyholder,hankies and even scarfs! But to me, giving men presents they know were personally made for them gives an extra feeling of being special.


Last year I did gift packages for my Dad, Step-Dad, brothers and brothers in law. I wrapped homemade caramel corn and chocolate cookies in neat Christmas decorative cellophane bags w/pretty ribbon made of husk. I even made little gift boxes of the same contents around the holiday seasons. I can't remember any man in my family and friends circle has ever complained about this gift yet and I've learned that everyone was delighted!

It is very simple to learn. Why not make the same ideas and start planning now. You will enjoy these easy to make, fun to do and wonderful to give homemade presents for the men of your life.

Making Holiday Travel Easier

Maybe you have start to plan for the holidays. Put these simple tips in your pocket.

You can now begin watching for holiday price drops. Every year, most Christmas itineraries saw price drops in the first two weeks of October, so gear on. If you're not ready to book that early, watch for the next deals. There are travel agencies that drop 50 percent more on price during the holidays than other times of the year.

Be alert. Most airfare price drops last less than 48 hours, it's as fast as you can blink an eye! Be always ready to jump when a fare falls.

Travel Flexy. You can save more money by picking the not so busy travel days during both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Avoiding the popular Wednesday or Thursday before Christmas departure days can save you approximately $15 to $50 per ticket.

Avoid travel surcharges. Some airlines impose holiday surcharges. To avoid these charges, book a hotel, or get your ticket ahead of time. Try to travel light. Many airlines charge extra fees for a variety of things, from checking baggage, having excess or overweight baggage, even for pillows or meals, and getting aisle or exit row seats. The best tactic is to be well-informed.

Happy holiday traveling!