So you have made all your preserves, cookies, candies, pies, casseroles, breads, and roasted nuts to give as gifts this year. Now how do you present them to your friends, neighbors, and co-workers so that their faces will light up and a big smile will form on their face? When you're giving a homemade food gift - make sure the packaging indicates how great the taste is going to be!!!!

Here are some suggestions...

Cookies. Christmas cookies are a wonderful gift to share. Almost any container will work for gifting. From cookie boxes to coffee cans that are decorated. Take a coffee can and cut foil wrapping paper to fit around can. Attach with hot glue gun. You can adorn the paper with stickers and tie a bow around the top. Cookies look good in jars, on special Christmas platters, even in shoe boxes wrapped like a present.

Breads. Quick nut breads can be baked in their own decorative disposable pans. For larger loafs, place the bread in a plastic loaf bag and then use a decorative kitchen towel to tie around the loaf. Carefully wrap the towel around the loaf, bring the towel ends together above the bread to form a handle, and tie with ribbon or raffia.

Roasted Nuts. Boxes of candied cashews, sugared pecans, or chocolate covered peanuts are perfect gifts. Make them extra special by gifting them in a nutcracker tin or special nut box. Let the receiver know they are in for a treat!

Candies. Candy boxes and decorative treat bags are the most efficient and easiest way to present your homemade chocolate treats. Decorative holiday tins can also be used for uneven pieces of candy like peanut brittle and peppermint crunch. Show off your treats by heaping them into Christmas bowl or bag and cover with cellophane tied with ribbon. Another way to package candies or nuts is with clear disposable decorating bags. Just fill the bag with your item, leaving room to twist and tie with ribbon. You have a cone-shaped gift.

Gifts in jars. Jars are not just for preserves. You can put anything from cookies, to nuts, candies and more to give away. Use scissors and cut 6"-7" diameter rounds of fabric to put over the top of jars. Use a decorative jar with square corners or some other unusual style of jar. You may want to use a pair of scissors that will cut in zigzag or fancy pattern in the material. Use raffia or gold loops to fasten the fabric to the jar along with a gift tag that includes baking instructions or uses for the preserves. You can choose fabric that enhances the contents of the jar. For example - red hot tamales on salsa gifts would be great. If you don't want to do fabric - try using decorative labels that list the product with the date of preservation. The ideas are endless for gifts in jars, bottles and mugs.

These are just a few suggestions to get you started. The main thing is to remember that most food items can be put into any container - you just need to jazz it up with fancy paper, tissues, ribbons, stickers and bows! Use your imagination with felt-tip pens, crayons, computer graphics, rubber stamps and different fabric. Create your own fantastic gift!!!