A friend of mine once had the idea that he should make his family members Christmas gifts. He told me he always liked working with wood and thought it would be nice to have a more personal touch. he had a nice selection of tools in a section of his garage. However, he had a bit of a problem. He said that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t think of anything to make for anyone.

“What do they like?” I asked.
“They like television and video games.”
“Well, you can’t make those things.”

The idea of a personalized gift is truly nice. You want to make something for someone and you want that person to appreciate it. Not everyone, for example, will want a cribbage board.
“Make them all bookcases,” I said.
“Why bookcases?”
“They’re easy to make and, if they don’t use them, you can always reuse the wood.”
The last Christmas gift I made for anyone that I truly considered personalized was a jigsaw puzzle I made for my wife last year. I got a photo she took printed out 8×10 and glued it onto some hardboard, coated it several times with urethane, then cut it up on the scrollsaw into puzzle-pieces. I made a box for it and put a smaller version of the picture on the box cover. It was personalized because the photo meant something to her. And, of course, I made it, so that in itself personalized it.

“Make them picture frames.”
“That’s a pretty good idea.”
“Put a picture of you in it.”
In fact, even if you make all your family members key-hanging plaques, the gifts are personalized because you are the one making them. They may not view them that way, but you are really the one that matters in this situation. Disappointment in the gifts you receive is a natural part of Christmas, after all.
“Make them stacking blocks.”
“Really?”
“You’ve got scraps of wood you need to get rid of, right?”

Yes, the act of gift giving is the rewarding part of Christmas. It makes you feel good that you have put some thought and care into the candle stand you made for your eight-year-old son. If your 12-year-old daughter doesn’t like the butcher-block style chess board you made her, that’s really her problem. And your wife or husband should love the circular, solid maple cutting board you made last year, as well as the one you make this year.

“Make them boxes.”
“What kind of boxes?”
“Does it matter?”

He did end up making them things, but I don’t even remember what they were. I’m sure his family loved them. I must say, though, that if you manage to make something good and special for someone, they will likely have it for a very long time. You will have been the one that made it, after all, and that does mean something to the people who care about you. Even if it’s not obvious at the time.