Parenting Pointers: Gift-Giving Tips from Nielsen-Masse

This holiday season, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas invites you to bring a personal touch back into the season by encouraging readers to create DIY holiday gifts for friends and loved ones. When it comes to holiday gifting, it truly is the thought that counts, and what could be more thoughtful than a handmade gift? Whether looking to let a teacher know how much she is appreciated, brighten the mail-carrier’s day, or surprise a coworker, DIY gifts are the perfect way to show how much you care.

 

Following are some unique packaging tips to give handmade gifts an extra-special touch:

• Package homemade biscotti, cookies, or even body products in vintage tins or jars. A beautiful container is an additional gift that the recipient can keep long after the handmade gift is gone. 
• Instead of using traditional wrapping paper or gift bags, wrap boxes in craft paper and decorate with pens and markers. Wrap jars and bottles in fabric, burlap, or a pretty kitchen towel and secure it with colorful striped baker’s twine. 
• Attach a Christmas ornament to the outside of the package in lieu of a traditional gift tag. Ornaments can be treasured for years to come.  
• nclude a hand-written note or card with the recipe for your gift – it is the gift that keeps on giving!
• This recipe for Vanilla Body Scrub from Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, included below, is the perfect gift for friends, sisters, daughters, or anyone who deserves a bit of pampering this holiday season. Fragrant Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Sugar gently exfoliates while olive oil moisturizes, leaving skin feeling soft, smooth and rejuvenated.

Vanilla Body Scrub

1 cup Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Sugar 
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 or 2 drops of an essential oil such as lavender, eucalyptus, etc.

Decorative, waterproof container

Mix ingredients together in a bowl.

Spoon into a decorative, waterproof container.

Wrap in decorative paper.

Instructions for use: Apply a small amount to damp skin while in shower or bath. Gently scrub skin with a soft washcloth. Rinse thoroughly.