What’s the best homemade gift you’ve ever given or received?
FAMILY BOOKS
The best homemade gift are books I have given to each of my nine children. One has their school and 4-H news clippings and ribbons, another has many photos of themselves with siblings, friends or pets, another is a 102-page family cookbook and a fourth includes their parents’ medical history, along with their family trees and some family history. All are in three-ring binders and all pages are enclosed in plastic sheet protectors.
The books contain their mementos all in one place. They can add to the pages or refer to the books at any time. And the material is out of my house!
Marlene Kouba
Slope Electric Cooperative
COMMON BOND
Every Christmas, I make my parents and grandparents homemade presents. There has always been something so special to me about putting my own creative personal spin on gifts, especially as an artist. Homemade items take much more time and effort than store-bought items, and you really have to know the person if you’re making them a present.
The best gifts I’ve ever given were those I presented my paternal grandpa in recent years. He is a big Minnesota Twins fan, as am I, and his all-time favorite player is Harmon Killebrew. Recognizing this common bond, I decided to embody it in a present. I utilized my artistic abilities to draw Killebrew for my grandpa.
After I gave it to him, the portrait made itself a home by the TV in the living room. I thought it was a great spot, because Grandpa could look over and see his favorite player when we were watching the Twins games, even though Killebrew was no longer on the field.
Last year, I decided to recreate the drawing with my current skill level. This new drawing was really interesting to see side-by-side with the first one. It displayed my development as an artist. Maybe there will be another picture on the wall to compare in a couple years!
Joanie McCormack, 14 years old
Capital Electric Cooperative
CROCHETED SLIPPERS
When I was young, my paternal grandmother would make crocheted slippers for each of her grandchildren each Christmas. I remember my brothers and sisters and I would always be excited when the package from Grandma came around Christmastime. We knew what it contained, but it was always exciting to see what color each pair of new slippers would be. I was always amazed she was able to guess the size accurately, although there were times she wasn’t quite correct, mainly because someone had a growth spurt.
We would proudly don our slippers and then go sliding across the wood flooring. We usually wore holes in the bottom of them by March and had to wait nine months for another pair.
Peggy Bettenhausen
KEM Electric Cooperative
CALENDAR FOR SOMEONE SPECIAL
My favorite homemade gift is when I made a calendar for my mom for Christmas. I made it at school in second grade. She loved it! I had a lot of fun making it, too. It made me feel good to give it to her.
The calendar had all 12 months and was very colorful. It had pictures for the holiday or season in each month. For example, in October, I drew and colored a jack–o-lantern for Halloween. For January, I drew and colored a snowman. My mom could feel my love when I gave it to her on Christmas Eve. I love homemade gifts! I have more gifts that I love, but this was the most special handmade one of all!
Ellie Alice Vetter, 9 years old
McLean Electric Cooperative
LEATHER PURSE
When I was in high school, I received a gift from my boyfriend, who is now my husband. The gift meant a lot to me, because he made it. The gift was a beautiful western purse and an amazing card made from leather. The card had a simple, but lovely, verse written in it.
The purse design was on the flap that came over the full front and the shoulder length strap had a golden buckle for adjustment. A cute stuffed dog was also included in the gift. More than 50 years later, I still cherish the gift he made for me.
Robin Dunwoody
Northern Plains Electric Cooperative
CHRISTMAS MICE
Sometimes, the little things are the best.
Two little “mice,” with their hazelnut faces and yarn tails, tucked into walnut shell beds, are homemade Christmas gifts made for me by my niece and nephew, Amber and Corey, nearly 40 years ago, when they were little kids. Both are now grown with families of their own.
This Christmas was shortly before their family moved from Lisbon to Texas, where my sister, Carole, and her husband, James Bauer, became teachers in the El Paso school system.
These little mice are dear to my heart and remind me of simpler times, when Carole and I were growing up as the oldest of 10 children in our family, and all the good times we had together, before life sent us our separate ways.
Patricia Schaffer
Dakota Valley Electric Cooperative
HANDMADE DOLLHOUSE
The best homemade gift I’ve ever given was a dollhouse for my 5-year-old sister. It was three stories high and had furniture. The furniture included beds, shelves, pictures on the walls, and even a bunny-eared TV. The house also had accessories like books made out of cardboard (one of them even had a story written on its pages) and pencils and paper. My little sister was thrilled to receive it and I felt good about giving it to her.
Matthew Schaper, 13 years old
McKenzie Electric Cooperative
