If you’re one of those people who get angry when Christmas music and decorations flood the airways and store aisles before Thanksgiving, you’re absolutely going to hate this idea.
But, if you’re also one of those people who spend way too much money on holiday gifts because you can’t decide what to buy everyone, keep reading. Between my husband’s huge family and my extended family, we have over 75 people to consider for gift giving. We tried skipping gifts one year — and that wasn’t received very well… So 20 years ago, we found a creative solution: We made little homemade gifts to share with our family and friends. Everyone enjoys receiving them and they don’t break the bank!
One of our favorite gifts has been our homemade chapstick (or lip balm). They’re really easy to make and they only cost about 20 cents each! We’ve made peppermint and vanilla flavors using bees wax and coconut oil. I printed up custom labels with everyone’s names and a list of ingredients. Who doesn’t want a custom chapstick during the winter months?
Check out this website to learn how to make chapstick: http://wellnessmama.com/7055/homemade-lip-chap-recipe/
I got all of our supplies at http://www.bulkapothecary.com/categories/containers/lip-balm-tubes-jars-and-tins/. You can buy the lip balm tubes and all of the ingredients you need. I also bought the lip balm filling trays — they’re only $6.95 and it makes it so much easier to fill the tubes.
Get the family to make chapstick for their friends, and you’ll all have a blast making them. It’s quick and easy!
Susan Tatsui-D’Arcy was born and raised in Southern California and currently lives in Santa Cruz, California. After her first child was born, Susan set up a preschool so she could spend more time with her daughter and provide engaging activities for her. She invited other children to join to create a stimulating and social environment. Realizing that no existing school met the standards she wanted for her children, she opened an elementary school for accelerated students that expanded with her children as they advanced each year. When her daughters were in middle school, Susan created ProjectMERIT to inspire teens to find their niches and pursue independent projects and then expanded Merit Academy to include high school and college advisory. Susan has written eleven books on parenting, education & time management. Susan is the CEO and founder of Merit Academy and Merit Educational Consultants. For fun, Susan skis, ATVs, and manages her aquaponics garden and permaculture fruit orchard. Susan is the 2019 California Mother of the Year. Read more from Susan on her blog GaakoMom.com.
