The Perfect Person Deserves the Perfect Christmas Gift.

You may be thinking, “It’s only the first day of November.  It’s a little early for this post.”  Normally I would agree with you.  However, I did a little shopping today in Skokie, and let me tell you, Christmas is in the air.  It’s on display, on mannequins, on the minds of all retail workers at the Westfield Shopping Mall.  I even found myself picking out stocking stuffers for my boyfriend (in particular, these Star Wars pancake molds).  I tried on different shades of lipstick thinking, “This orangey red will be perfect for the dead of winter.  Christmas is just around the corner after all!”

If you’re the creative type, you can custom make a present for a special someone. Fine Little Day‘s Elisabeth Dunker reused old spoons to create these adorable spoon people.  By reusing goods at home, you too can custom-make a Christmas present.

Nearly every year my brother paints a picture of a celebrity for me.  Three years ago it was Billy Bob Thorton, two years ago it was Bjork, and last year he painted me a larger than life picture of Lady Gaga.  I generally like to purchase a present (something vintage or handmade) and attach a homemade card to it with some festive ribbon.  While I was browsing the paper goods section of Anthropologie today, I was surprised and delighted to see that they are already carrying wrapping paper, tags, and an assortment of beautiful ribbon spools for wrapping up Christmas presents.

If you are only creative at heart and still want a custom gift for your person of importance, hire someone creative to bring your idea to life.  For instance, New York’s Haptic Lab makes one-of-a-kind hand-embroidered quilts for the holiday season.  If you’d like a map quilt of where you met your mate or a quilt for your parents on their anniversary, Haptic Lab has you covered.  However, if you plan on hiring Haptic Lab to create your quilt for Christmas, get your order in by November 5th.  It takes them 200+ hours to hand-craft a custom quilt.  Here are a couple of samples of their work:

(a map quilt of Charleston, SC)

(a wedding quilt)

Although Christmas feels months away and presents are probably far from your mind, consider starting your Christmas shopping or present making early this year.  It takes time to create the perfect gift.