Food—more than anything else—has the power to bring holiday memories to life. When we think of family traditions associated with Christmas or Hanukkah, we think of sugar cookies, Stollen or perhaps a latke or two. When we think of spending time together over the holidays, we think of eating, drinking and cooking together. And, of course, we think of giving gifts.  So what better way to celebrate all that the holidays embody than the gift of food? Here we’ve rounded up our five favourite home made food gifts.  Each of these is a festive way to bring your kids into the kitchen for some delicious holiday memory-making.    

Christmas Cookies
Cookies are the ultimate holiday DIY gift, especially when you let the kids in on the action. Here is a tried and true recipe for sugar cookies. The fun part comes in the decorating. You have many options here but we love the traditional colourful kind.

And finally, to package these up, you can opt for the traditional tin route, or style your cookies with cellophane wrap, or pick up some pastry boxes at a craft store. The queen of gifting (Martha) has some great cookie-wrapping tips here.

Another way to give your favourite cookies is to beautifully layer all the ingredients in a mason jar, and give it that way.

Warm Soup or Bread… in a jar!
A comforting soup or bread is always a welcome gift in the cooler months. Our friends from North Dakota recently shared several great jarred gift ideas, which you can find here. We love the Friendship Soup idea. Simply layer in a mason jar, add your own wrapper and a personalized note.

Gingerbread Caramel Corn
Need we say more? This decadent holiday twist on a classic treat is sure to be well received. The recipe can be found here. Then, wrap it up in a cute tin or a mason jar with a bow or in cellophane packs with ribbons.

Marshmallow Snow Men
For the little ones, this is a craft as much as a treat. All you do is put three big marshmallows on a stick, dip in white chocolate, and use mini m&m’s and icing to decorate. Package them up and voila!  

Santa Suit Candy Bar
How cute is this? A great way to personalize your favourite candy bar.

Image source: Kim's Korner

And finally, this non-edible gift idea that the young ones will love…

Candy Cane Playdough
If you’ve never made playdough before, it’s actually quite simple to do.  This is a really fun activity for kids and the results are an instant toy. Get the recipe here.

Image Source: Cook With Kids Blog

We’d love to know what you’re making (and giving away)! Share your ideas (and photos) with us here and get some more great ideas on our holiday pin board here!