Gift giving can be a stressful time of sharing. Will the sweater fit? Did I buy the right movie? As the holiday season approaches, thoughts turn to picking up just the right gift for everyone on your list. This year try something new with your list. Make some holiday gifts that are sure to please and be memorable too. Gifts in a jar are a great way to make a hand crafted gift to give for almost any occasion.

You don't have to be super crafty for this hand crafted item to appeal to everyone. It might be a great way to spend a rainy afternoon with your children. Allow them to participate, just make sure that they know not to spill the beans on what you are giving for the holidays.

The first step in making your gifts in a jar is to actually have clean jars with lids. You can find the jars sold at various stores in your area. Usually, the lids are sold separately. These are really inexpensive when you think about it because you get 12 jars to work with from one case. While you are out shopping for your jars, think about how you want to decorate them. You can put a small piece of cloth over the lid and tied down with raffia, curly ribbon and decals to adorn the jars is a nice touch, or you can just add the plain jar to a basket with like items.

During this shopping trip pick up all the things needed to put in the jar. If you are doing a layered soup recipe, make sure you have all the components for the soup mix, except the meat of course. You also will want to create some how to use cards for your gift, so pick up either some 3X5 index cards or make your own cards off your computer using card stock printing paper.

Back at home, on the day you decide to set up shop and make your gifts in a jar, lay out all the items you will need. Have your cards with instructions already made. If you are labeling the jars, have the labels printed and ready to be affixed to the jar. Lay out all of your decorating items so you know which you will be using for what jar. Start filling your jars. Once they are all filled and labeled correctly, you can start the process of wrapping them for the holiday season.

Wrapping up your gifts in a jar is so much fun. You can use baskets, tins, a large mixing bowl, just step out of the square box and imagine. Let's say you are giving Snowman Soup Mix. Add a nice coffee mug, spoon, and directions to a gift bag. For soup in a jar, you might want to pick up a stock pot and wrap your gift in that by adding a ladle, a couple of cute pot holders, etc. You get the idea. Match the gift in a jar to what might accompany it.

Keep several of these on hand for the unexpected need for a gift during the year.

As to where to find the recipes for gifts in a jar, just type that into your browser. There is a plethora of sites that pop up when you do this. The personal favorite for ease of navigation and just really good recipes is http://www.allfreecrafts.com/g iftinajar/index.shtml. You can't go wrong with this site.

Don't think of gift giving as a chore of one more present that has to be found. Get the family involved and get back to the basics of giving hand crafted gifts from the heart this holiday season.

 Article copyright to lynnechandler at HubPages 2009.