I’ve always loved homemade gifts. I think when you make something with your own hands, carefully creating something for another person, you’re giving them one of the richest gifts of all: your time.

Last Christmas, I decided to give my family and a couple of close friends something that represented both my time and my creativity.  When you’re a mom, a business owner, a spouse, a sister, daughter and a friend, it can be difficult to intentionally devote special time to each of your important relationships. It is so easy to get trapped in the routines, errands, and small talk.

So here’s what I did: I went to the craft store and bought a few small scrapbooks, stickers, fun paper, and ribbons. Next, I wrote a month of the year on each page, starting with January. Then I glued the front of an envelope to the page, leaving the flap facing out so that I could add my note. Finally, I saved space on each page, so I could later add a photograph.

In each envelope, I wrote a note to the recipient, saying how much they meant to me and how I wanted to spend time with them that month. For my girlfriends, I wrote little poems unveiling what we’d do–get coffee or lunch or see a show that month. For my family, I wrote that we’d have game night or go ice skating or movie. I also added in opportunities for us to serve together as a family.

By the time I’d finished, I had planned for 12 “dates” with my family and 12 “dates” with my girlfriends. At each event, I took a photo to capture our experience, and added it to the book, so that at the end of the year, they had a scrapbook of our time together.

The idea came as an inspiration from Pinterest (of course!), and it gave me the opportunity to combine things I value: making a personalized homemade gift and spending time with the people I love.

Any holiday gift ideas you’d like to share?  I am always overwhelmed by your creativity and would love to hear your ideas.  Please comment and tell me about it!