Door 15: Easy homemade Christmas gifts

If you've got a cupboard full of empty jars that you don't know how to use and aren't quite ready to recycle, why not give one of these recipes a go? 

Sterilise your jars, fill them with a tasty treat, wrap them in a festive ribbon, and you've got some delightful edible gifts.

• Citrus Marmalade -  a long lasting and decadent breakfast staple. 
• Sweet and spicy coated nuts - the ideal nibble for gatherings of guests. 
• Caremelized onion and bacon jam - perfect for accompanying leftover turkey in sandwiches on boxing day. 

Alternatively, if you're a master baker, there are a wealth of Christmas baking recipes available online, and your friends and relatives will surely be delighted to be your Guinea Pigs.

Perhaps you could also enter your bake into the OU Students Festive Bake Off for the chance to win awesome prizes.

For these, all you'll need is some test tubes, spoons, glass jars/ramekins, plastic wrap, and some easily sourced supermarket ingredients.

• Make some delicious coffee mug mixers by placing a dollop of melted chocolate on a spoon, topping it with marshmallows, crumbled biscuits, or crushed nuts, and allowing it to solidify. Wrap it in plastic, and you've something to elevate a morning coffee from instant to indulgent.

Image by Mike Garten

• Looking for something fun for the kiddos? They'll love these test-tube hot chocolate stocking fillers. 
• Mulled wine or apple juice is always the perfect winter warmer. Gift someone a bottle of their favourite alcoholic or non-alcoholic tipple with a jar of home-made mulling spices.

If gifting something edible isn't quite your style, how about the gift of festive cheer?

You can make your own ornaments with little more than store-cupboard ingredients. They can be personalised with names, initials, dates, and more!

This master-post includes 28 ideas for salt-dough decorations that will delight children and adults alike, and there's something for every decor style!

Finally, who doesn't love the smell of christmas? Give your friends, family and neighbours the gift of a warm, comforting scent with these super easy stove top potpourri gifts. 

All you have to do to use the potpourri is empty the jar into a small pan of water and simmer the mixture over a low heat until the whole house is filled with the smell of the season.