At this late stage in the game, if you haven’t found the perfect gift, you may be out of time for shipping. No worries. You can make gifts at home and give them a personal touch. I’m a firm believer that handmade gifts are the best.

This holiday season either support small businesses by buying from local small-batch makers, or get crafty and make some gifts yourself. Handmade gifts are unique. You can make them with love from the finest ingredients. They can save you money, and help you de-stress in the process.

Here are some ideas for handmade gifts you can whip up in one night.

• Go to your local craft store and explore. You’ll find all kinds of ideas like paper crafts, kits for soap making, candle making, and ideas of gifts to make with kids. This year I bought a DIY refrigerator magnet set and a gingerbread house kit. Such fun!
• Cookies, cakes and candies – Make your own baked goods, and put them in festive tins or boxes that you get at the craft or dollar store. Or try melting chocolate and covering just about anything. We always make chocolate-covered graham crackers, raisin clusters, and peanut clusters.
• Frame a favorite recipe – Do you have a favorite recipe from your grandmother or a special loved one? If there is someone from your past that made delicious holiday treats, commemorate them by giving that recipe as a gift. Design a professional-looking recipe card in a free app like Canva, and print it out. Frame it, and you have a wonderful sentimental gift.
• Essential oil blends – You can find essential oils at Whole Foods or even your local drug store. Mix them with some bath salts and a touch of olive oil, put them in a jar, and tie it up with a ribbon. You may even want to do this for yourself. I love DIY luxury.
• Ornaments – I enjoy making my own ornaments from the jewelry section of my local craft store. You can buy wire, beads, crystals, all types of pretty things to add to your ornaments. Sparkly ornaments reflect the strings of lights and add a special holiday glow to your tree.
• Jewelry – In that same aisle at the craft store, you can use those beads and charms to make earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and hair accessories. It’s easier than you think.
• Art work – Create your own pictures with watercolors, pastels, or colored pencils. Or go to a design app like Canva, and use its tools to design a pretty picture, and then print it out.

Who knows, if you get good at making handmade gifts, maybe next year you can sell them in your own online shop.