Buy cookie cutters at family dollar or other discount store
6CUTTERS/$1.00, cheap, HUH? Attach poem with pretty christmas ribbon or cord. My co-workers loved this!
I MADE A PLATE OF COOKIES TO SHARE WITH YOU THIS YEAR,
I THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD WAY TO SPREAD SOME CHRISTMAS CHEER.
THEY ALL LOOKED REALLY TASTY, SO I THOUGHT I'D EAT JUST ONE.
AND A LITTLE WHILE LATER, I NOTICED THERE WERE NONE!
SO HERE'S MY CHRISTMAS GREETING, AND A COOKIE CUTTER TOO.
NOW YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN COOKIES, AND
MAYBE SHARE A FEW!
(AUTHOR UNKNOWN)

Here are some survival kit links, I have made candy planes and attached a card that says "you soar above the rest", I have made bookmarks that have "the ten reasons to work at...", candles to "let your light shine" or tylenol candles, peppermints in a bag your worth "a mint" to us, a "dime on pin" (diamond pin), snowman soup, animal crackers in a bag "sometimes this place is a real zoo", personalized Christmas ornaments, use a gold or silver paint marker on clear or colored balls.

Survival Kits

http://www3.sympatico.ca/mgrant/detour5.htm

http://members.tripod.com/diginncrafts/hmcrafts.html

http://www.creativeheart.com/kits/index.html

The linked site is 121 fun sayings for gifts.

If you have any questions please ask.

Hope this helps.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: Fun sayings for gifts

I'm in the same "boat" as you are this year...generally make gifts for co-workers but this year that list has grown to around 40! I think that I will get a Christmas-y disposable cup for hot liquids (disposable because everyone already has too many mugs!) and a small container (one serving) of homemade cappicchino mix, a stirrer (perhaps a chocolate dipped spoon) and a couple of Christmas cookies. Will make a note or poem about taking a break during the Christmas rush. I prefer gifts that are just little rememberances, are consumable and not of the knick-knack variety!

Make bath salt and package as a "foot soak" for those holiday weary feet. The link below has a basic, simple recipe. You can omit food coloring and leave it white and use any scent - for the men perhaps some crushed rosemary leaves added instead of essential oil (Cost Plus herbs are less than half of what all the grocery stores charge). Any herbs will work and will cost less than an essential oil. Also, don't buy jars - either recycle some from home (87 cent per can spray paint from WalMart to spray the lid and cover what it was, then a scap of fabric or a bow to make it fancier) or use plastic bags.

Buy some extra Halloween candy now and have "emergency chocolate" boosts (or get a volunteer to make fudge or brownies for that).

You don't have much cash to work with at all - about $5.70 per person and that's supposed to cover how many weeks??

Here is a link that might be useful: Peach Bath Salts - Holiday Org page

Christmas poops are always fun to give. Here is my link to several different ones you could use.

Here is a link that might be useful: Christmas Poops

I did this for a few of my friends last year and they all loved it. They even wanted the directions so they could make some. I gave each person enough to make it twice, but it could go farther.
I might have a few other ideas, I'll look and see.

Cake in a coffee Mug ( read all instructions before starting)
1 cake mix any flavor
1 (4 serving size) instant pudding mix (not sugar free), any flavor
Place dry cake mix and dry pudding mix into a large bowl and blend well with a whisk. This will be about 4 - 4 ½ cups dry mix and will make 8-9 coffee cup cake mixes. Place 1/2 cup dry mix into a baggie. Continue making packets until all your dry mix is used.

Flavors
Lemon cake mix- lemon pudding
Yellow cake mix- chocolate pudding
Devils food cake mix- chocolate pudding
Pineapple cake mix- coconut pudding
Butterscotch cake mix- butterscotch pudding

Select a large coffee Mug. Check it to be sure it holds 1 1/2 cups of water. That way you will be sure you have bought the size the recipe calls for. It can't have any metallic paint on it because it will be used in the
microwave. Places like WalMart and craft stores sell plain cups. Or use a Valentines mug....or one to fit the occassion.

Glaze mix
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp dry flavoring ( such as powdered lemonade mix, powdered orange breakfast drink mix, cocoa powder)
Vanilla powder sold by coffee flavorings
Select the flavoring appropriate to the cake you are making.
For the pineapple coconut cake include flaked coconut in a separate bag with instructions to sprinkle it over the frosted cake. Place the glaze mix ingredients into a baggie.
Label this bag "glaze mix".

Place one baggie cake mix and one baggie glaze mix in each coffee cup.
Now attach the following baking instructions to each coffee cup.

Bake a cake in a coffee cup

Generously spray inside of coffee cup with cooking spray. Empty contents of one large packet into cup. Add 1 egg white, 1 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp water to dry mix. Mix well. Microwave on full power 2 minutes. While cake is cooking, place ingredients from one "Glaze Mix" into a small container and add 1 1/2 tsp water. Mix well. When cake is done, pour glaze over cake in cup. Enjoy while warm.

Do you have to use the egg white? could you use meringue powder?

I think the Christmas poops would be entertaining and inexpensive as would the reindeer and grinch dust. Survival kits could be for those stressed out managers:
rubberband-to hold things together
marble-for when you lose yours
battery-to help you keep going and going
mint-because you're worth a mint
lifesavers-when you think you are drowning in work
match or candle-to brighten or lighten things up
Hershey's Hugs -when you need one
Snickers bar-when you need to laugh
These are just a few things. You could probably think of more.

I am giving all my co-workers some dough for christmas this year!..

I am buying the frozen pre-made cookie dough rolls and attaching the following saying...

Figured everybody is short on dough this time of year..

Can somebody help me with a poem or cute saying for this. I only have 6 girls to buy for..and we always do 'crafty' things so I thought this was cute and useful...and YES we have a refrigerator there to keep it cold all day.

Thanx!

Poinsettia's are red,
Cookies are sweet,
I've been really busy,
So make your own darn treats!

Check out this link:
Small gift ideas
There are even colorful tags to go with the gag gifts. I love the dustpan cookies.

Bump

I am making homemade "Bailey's" for friends this year. Someone recently gave it to me as a small gift and I loved it-and it was so good that it's already gone. You can buy great glass decanters at Big Lots for $1.50 and make a nice label like "Christmas Spirit" to put on the bottle. Here is the recipe for you!

1 can sweetened condensed milk
3 eggs
1 pint half and half
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons instant coffee
1 cup Irish whiskey (this is key-believe it or not it does taste better-more expensive but smoohter)

Blend all ingredients for 2 minutes in blender. Refrigerate for 24 hours. The mixture settles because of the air from blending, so save some extra to top off the bottle. Place in containers. Keep refrigerated.

Mary, I saw mention in your post of reindeer and grinch dust...where did you see this? I looked but haven't found it. Could you please let me know where to find them? I like everyone else will be looking foreward to little things to do for co workers for the holidays and these sound like cute little gifts.

TIA

I am making the "Paper clip Angels", tube sock rice bags and "Smelly Jelly". All are great, easy and cheap. Just the thing for multiple co-worker gifts.

POOKIE TN

How about the microwave popcorn wrappers? The ones I saw said:
Just popppin' in to say
In a "corny" way
Have a Merry Christmas
and a joyful day.

Wrap around a bag of microwave popcorn and tape together in the back.

Bringing this back up cause it's closer than you think.
Also adding my site for more ideas.
http://www.angelfire.com/mac/crafts

Here is a link that might be useful: Craft Diva

Nice site thanks, I liked that craft pot candy corn set!!

I have a question about the homemade Bailey's bjolin4818.
What about the raw egg? Is there a substitue you can use insted? thanks!

Hey Christine,
You mentioned Pineapple cake mix. I can't seem to find it in the grocery stores anymore. I live in Canada. My Mom use to make the pineapple cake mixes and a wonderful pudding icing to top it but we can't anymore. It has to be available somewhere!
~Angela~

This is also a great idea if you can find confetti cake and make them for birthdays

lots of times it's not what's IN the package as much as it is the FACT of the package.

So you could get a bunch of identical gift boxes, and fill them w/ just-slightly-fancy or slightly unusual candy--not that many pieces, really, so a large bag could cover lots of people.

Then do some sort of slightly fancy wrapping--use a color ink-jet printer to print out a "sleeve" that simply wraps around the middle of the box.

Look at Martha Stewart Weddings for wedding-favor packing ideas.

I think anything in a mug would be great, fun stuff or sweets with an office twist on it will be good gifts

Here is a link that might be useful: Business Christmas Cards

Grillboy, are you actually joining in here with a old post from 2001 that you dug up? Or are you just commenting on it so you can SPAM us? Luvs