Who wants to spend the holidays waiting in long lines or getting paper cuts from wrapping so many presents? Sometimes we get so caught up in all of the festivities that we forget to stop and appreciate the sweet and simple things… like homemade gifts, particularly the edible ones.

I like what InspiredBites has to say when she talks about her Almond-Cardamom Christmas Cookies. Her idea of a great holiday gift? A Christmas cookie basket.

Fruit cake! It can be a good thing, especially if you need to provide gifts for a crowd. Joan’s Fruit Cake Cups by Mama come in the perfect gift-giving size. Consider giving these away as party favors this holiday season; take a look at her tasty recipe!

Though it’s hard to believe, not everyone has a sweet tooth as big as mine! But that doesn’t mean those folks won’t appreciate a gift made from pantry ingredients. VickiCarlson posted a recipe for Cinnamon Ornaments, you don’t eat these! Instead, you cut them out with cookie cutters and decorate them with puff paint (sounds like the recipe for a new family tradition)!

There are so many more ideas! For instance, you can make marshmallows from scratch, use cookie cutters to cut them out then drench them with chocolate… follow CrissCut’s Chocolate Covered Marshmallow recipe if that sounds tempting. And what about JenniferDube’s Kahlua Gingerbread Cutouts?

Skip the trip to the mall this year and let’s get cookin’, instead!