The Countdown to Christmas is on—17 days until Christmas.

Day 8 of our countdown with thanks to Lakeside Collections: Save up to 50% on great gift ideas at Lakeside.com

I’m not as great with the handmade gifts as Renae. However, there are a few things that can be put together at home for thoughtful, budget Christmas gfits. (Because, when you make it at home, it’s homemade, right?) One quick & easy idea is to compile themed gift baskets. Create a pampering present by pairing a CD with bubble bath, lotions and tea or chocolate picked up free with coupons or CVS ExtraCare Bucks. Include a small jingle bell ornament & hot cocoa packets with the Polar Express book or DVD.

Crayons are a very inexpensive item, but always a huge hit with younger children. Consider ways to piece together a memorable coloring gift set for the little ones in your life. My mom is giving each of our girls a craft case filled with paper & crayons. It is one of the least expensive gifts she purchased this year, but will probably be one of their favorites. You could even make your own coloring book. Make it even more personal by printing coloring pages made from your own photos!

Small gifts can really add up for a big impact. There are a variety of ways to arrange more expensive looking gifts out of a few, smaller purchases. Slip a few handfuls of Hershey kisses into a whisk as a cute gift for teachers. Attach a tag that reads “We whisk you a merry Kissmas!” in holiday greeting. It is a fun way to give a very useful, but otherwise boring, gift. Kitchen accessories are one of those items that everyone truly needs, but they don’t usually make for enjoyable gifts. Even the least crafty person (ahem!) can handle this!

I have made these dish towel angels several times in previous years. It is yet another way to make a utilitarian gift a little more festive. Who couldn’t use new pot holders or towels? I know I seem to be constantly replacing mine. I have also gone even more simple in jazzing up kitchen items—oven mitt stockings! Fill one with a whisk, spoons, rolling pin or other items for holiday cooking, and tie a festive ribbon around your gift.

While we’re on the subject of teacher gifts, I really love Chris’s idea for giving festive soap & antibacterial lotion. My girls’ school goes through that stuff like crazy, and I think it will be a lot of fun to let the girls decorate the clear bottles. I’m going to go with snowflakes & snowmen over Christmas decorations, so they can use it through the new year as well. It really doesn’t take much to make an inexpensive gift look like a lot more. If you have more frugal Christmas gift ideas, we’d love to hear them!