Feeing anxious because you left your Christmas shopping to the last minute? You’re certainly not alone! The holidays and the end of the year are a busy time for families, businesses and students, making it hard to focus on the real reason for the season. Here are a few thoughtful Christmas gift ideas that are guaranteed to make your loved ones smile.

1. Personalized cutting board 

This is a great gift for those who love to cook. Go to Home Goods or the grocery store and grab a wooden cutting board. Then, follow these steps!

• Cut sheets of waxed paper to the size of computer paper.
• Print your image onto the waxed paper. (must reverse image first on your computer)
• Carefully place the image on your wood (wet side down) and then rub over it with a credit card.
• Removed waxed paper, and the ink is now transferred to the wood.
• Seal with a matte spray wood sealer, if you’d like.
• Wrap up with a bow!

2.  Baking 

If you’re really in a time crunch and have someone who loves baked goods, run to the grocery store and gather ingredients to make their favorite dessert! The time and effort put into cooking is much more meaningful than anything money can buy!

3.  Make coasters out of tiles 

Similar to the cutting board, this is a great gift idea for any household.

Here’s what you’ll need

• Tile (can be found at Home Depot)
• Nail Polish Remover
• Butter knife
• Foam brushes (2-3 depending on how many coasters you want to make)
• Colored photo copies from Kinkos (home inkjet printers do not work)
• Sheet of clear acetate (can be found at Kinkos)

How to make it

• Take the coaster and heat it in the microwave for a minute. This will help the ink stick.
• After cutting your image to fit the tile, place image face down on warm tile.
• Pour some nail polish remover onto the brush and coat the entire back of the image. Hold image in place while applying the polish remover.
• Put the sheet of acetate over that and take the blunt end of the butter knife and rub the entire image. As you rub, stop and lift the corners of the color copy to see if the ink is transferring. You may need to add some more nail polish remover or acetate.
• Once finished, leave out to dry.

4.  Transform a deck of cards into a thoughtful gift 

All you need for this craft is a deck of playing cards, some binder rings, a Sharpie and a whole punch! Paste a piece of paper on one side of the card and write meaningful messages on them. Then, hole punch each card in the same spots, and put them together with binder rings. Grandparents and parents will love this gift!

5. Books

Can you think of what your loved ones’ favorite thing to read is? Go to the local bookstore or browse on Amazon for a book they will love. Books are a gift that truly keep on giving!