Think outside the box with homemade Christmas gifts

Sometimes the best Christmas gifts don’t come from a store; sometimes homemade ones mean a whole lot more. Thinking outside the box—or even making one yourself—can make this season even more special for your loved ones.

For weeks, Theresa West-Taylo’s students at North Fort Myers Academy of the Arts worked on gnomes, sculpting and glazing them. Many of the students plan to give these little handmade ceramics to family members as gifts.

Eighth grader Jillian Campbell says her gnome is the perfect Christmas present for her grandma.

“It shows a lot more love than the store-bought stuff,” Jillian said.

Whether or not you’re a student, homemade gifts are personalized, inexpensive ways to show you thought about your loved ones, whether it’s making them their favorite food, knitting them a scarf or sculpting a ceramic gnome.

West-Taylo encourages all of her students to spend the time, not the dime.

“Some people love getting something that is handmade,” West-Taylo said. “They love the thought that was put into it and the fact that somebody spent the time.”

And Jillian’s grandma is getting two ceramic gnomes from art class.

“She likes a lot of homemade stuff,” jillian said. “I think she’ll like it.”

And because it came from Jillian’s hands and her heart, her grandma is guaranteed to love it.

There are several do-it-yourself gift websites.

Click here to check some out.