The Editorial Board’s recommendations for crafts, experiences and all things handmade
By THE EDITORIAL BOARD
When the days grow colder and the nights are lit up by sparkling Christmas lights, the feeling of merriment and wonder is almost palpable; it is a time for cozying up with a fuzzy blanket and a cup of tea, de-compressing after a busy quarter and spending time with loved ones. The holiday season is also a joyous time of recognizing those that are meaningful to you, whether it’s by making time to catch up with distant friends, strengthening your relationship with family or giving yourself some much-deserved self care.
The act of gift-giving — a love language in and of itself — is another way to show appreciation for the people in your life that you are grateful for. Here is the Editorial Board’s gift guide for this holiday season:
Alyssa Crevoiserat, Editor-in-Chief — Give the gift of noticing
I consider myself to be somewhat neurotic when it comes to holiday gift-giving. A self-proclaimed Santa Claus, I come bearing a sleigh full of tips and tricks when it comes to giving personalized, unique presents for your loved ones. Holiday gift guides are useful for brainstorming, but they’re almost always generic. Your loved ones will notice that the gift could easily be re-gifted to their least-favorite colleague and weird family member they see once a year.
The easiest method to thoughtful gift-giving is to pay attention throughout the year — don’t just lock in during December, take note of what your loved ones are mentioning. If it’s already December and too late to take this advice, not all hope is lost. A simple trick to gift-giving is to think about what someone in your life is missing or in need of upgrading. People appreciate gifts they will use in the long-term but never would have thought about buying for themselves — all you need to do is notice.
If they’re stressed from work and in need of self-care, make them a relaxation basket with items you know they’ll love. If they’ve mentioned wanting to start a new hobby, grab them a few items to get them started. If you know they have holes in their socks or rips in their t-shirts (it happens), take the initiative to replace them. The trick is to make your purchases personalized to the individual: Gifts that are both practical and customized to their interests and hobbies are the perfect mix of usable and thoughtful.
Maya Kornyeyeva, Managing Editor — The art of gift-wrapping
While scavenging for gifts is a delightful activity on its own, my favorite part of gift-giving is one of the last steps of the process: packaging. Wrapping up your carefully chosen items in festive wrapping paper, creasing the edges and creating neat folds is an activity that is endlessly satisfying to me. The care and intention that is put in the presentation of the gifts — although often considered secondary to the actual gift itself — is all part of the charm and mystery, adding another dimension of thoughtfulness to the process.
The harsh reality, however, is that more often than not, wrapping paper and ribbon is cheaply made and mass-produced, ripped off of a gift and instantly discarded. During this holiday season, I urge you to explore eco-friendly and creative solutions for packaging your gifts — whether that’s hiding your gift inside another gift, enclosing it in an item like a reusable bag, box or sustainable material, or repurposing packaging materials you already have. Why not grab a copy of The California Aggie as wrapping paper? It is high time that the art of gift-wrapping is given as much thought as the gift itself.
Vince Basada, Campus News Editor — Chocolate oranges
Homemade cookie boxes are a classic and thoughtful holiday gift, but as college students living in dorms and cramped apartments, it’s not always practical or possible for us to bake desserts at home. If you still want to give out sweet treats this winter, consider gifting chocolate oranges.
There’s something simple yet elegant about chocolate oranges. You can dress them up further, but I think they’re beautiful straight from the store. The chocolate itself is wrapped in shiny foil, and it’s all contained in a blue, bold box. And enjoying chocolate oranges is an experience in itself! Cracking the orange is always satisfying and allows you to play with your food.
They are also very accessible; they don’t cost more than a few dollars. And if you’re giving them to multiple people, they’re just distinct enough to be charming and memorable without breaking the bank.
Jordan Poltorak, City News Editor — Handmade cards
One of my favorite items to give someone is a handmade card. In the age of electronic gift cards and Amazon shipping gifts straight to your friends and family, they have been rendered somewhat useless. However, cards are a crucial part of any gift.
It started when I was younger, always making cards for my parents for various holidays, birthdays and sometimes just because. I loved looking up ideas online and tracing different designs onto the paper. After a while, I realized my friends would probably appreciate these cards as well. To me, a handmade card captures the essence of a person so much more than anything you can find at the store.
Over the years I have experimented with different designs for cards. What started out as drawings with markers turned into cutting different paper strips into designs and trying my hand at watercolors. I love getting to think about what exactly the person will enjoy: colors, shapes, mediums, all of it. So, this holiday season, instead of buying a card from the store, think about making your own. All it takes is folding a piece of paper in half to start.
Molly Thompson, Opinion Editor — A homemade holiday bakery
To me, a good gift is born of effort, passion and knowing the person you’re giving it to; the best gifts are appreciated for the work they took to make as much as for how the receiver enjoys them. By this metric, no present is better than a homemade holiday cookie box.
Over the past few years, I’ve spent my Decembers up to my elbows in butter and sugar as I craft a collection of eight carefully curated Christmas cookies to deliver to my extended family members. It’s become a tradition, and I think I look forward to it as much as the recipients do. It’s fun to brainstorm flavor combinations, plan out the baking process, spend time in the kitchen mixing ingredients and rolling dough, designing an aesthetically pleasing flavor guide and packing them all up in little boxes to be sent in the mail, ready for Christmas morning.
It’s a gift of experience as much as it is of the cookies themselves. It’s fun to match each one to the menu I send along with them, sample each one with family members, pick favorites and sit down every afternoon with a cup of coffee and a new treat — maybe you try a cranberry pistachio molasses cookie today and a piece of pecan toffee biscotti tomorrow. And it’s consumable, so it won’t sit on a shelf collecting dust come January.
Cinnamon, vanilla and peppermint just taste like the holidays. Flavors evoke sense memories, so you’re not just giving a delicious dessert, you’re giving an irreplaceable, viscerally festive experience that will warm your loved ones from the inside out. Above all else, it’s an act of love. Investing the level of creativity and work that a project like this requires into a Christmas present truly achieves the goal at the core of holiday gift giving; it shows how much you love, care for and appreciate the person you give it to.
Savannah Anno, Arts & Culture Editor — Crafts for all
While it may sound cheesy, there truly is nothing better than a handmade gift. One-of-a-kind and perfectly curated for a specific person, these presents showcase the amount of time and effort you’re willing to spend on someone else. Each holiday season, I take advantage of the free time winter break provides to try my hand at a few new crafts for family and friends.
Even if you don’t consider yourself artistic by any means, there are a plethora of online tutorials and Pinterest links with entry-level crafts that require nothing more than some paper, scissors, a glue stick and your own two hands. Photo collages can be placed in decorated, fabric-lined frames; pocket-sized tins; a custom scrapbook; or even inside Christmas Tree ornaments. To make it even more heartfelt, try to include other small items like movie tickets, receipts, handwritten notes and images that remind you of them.
If you’re feeling ambitious, some of my other favorite handmade gift ideas include bouquets of felt flowers; journals or stationary made with homemade paper; beaded keychains made with soda tabs and hanging mobiles made with small buttons, shells, charms and other tiny trinkets. Some of the best crafts can also include repurposing secondhand items or scrap fabric, like adding custom embroidery to thrifted sweaters or patchwork graphics to cotton tees.
While it may take a few attempts, there’s no better gift to show someone how much you love them than a homemade one. And who knows, you may find yourself a brand new hobby to explore in 2026 along the way.
Megan Joseph, Sports Editor — Practical gift giving
Holiday gift shopping may seem overwhelming, but it does not need to be. Many people often try to give meaningful gifts, only for them to end up useless and just sitting on a shelf. The best advice I can give to any holiday shoppers is simple: Give something that is practical — not just a tool or gadget, but something that will create memories.
Speaking from experience, I used to give my mom jewelry and my dad a new gadget every year. But last year, I tried something different: I gave my mom a painting class gift certificate, which ended up being one of the most fun activities I have ever done with her. Now, she goes all of the time and loves it. The experience meant so much more than just a book or a necklace. Sometimes the best gift isn’t about the value or necessity, but rather a meaningful memory or activity. Happy holidays everyone and good luck brainstorming presents!
Katie Hellman, Science & Technology Editor — The gift of experiences
In a world of materialism, consider giving someone the gift of an experience. This means that instead of presenting someone with a physical item, you can offer a meaningful activity to create memories that will long outlast a last-minute purchased present.
While many experience-type gifts that come to mind might be on the more expensive side (concert tickets, plane boarding passes, etc.), there are plenty of cheaper options as well! If your gift recipient is crafty, consider signing up for a class, such as pottery or cooking. You can also take them to a sporting event they like, buy tickets to go to a local museum together or treat them to a day at a music festival or theme park.
If you want to give a gift that will span a longer length of time, consider making a coupon book. You can bind together 5 to10 or so pages and write things like: “Good for one homemade meal,” “Good for one movie night” or “Good for one self-care night,” and then plan the events as the coupons are redeemed. You can personalize these ideas to the interests of your loved one and decorate the pages to your heart’s content.
Written by: The Editorial Board
