This time of year can be so busy – packed full of activities, work, social engagements, end-of-year events and Christmas shopping. It can be frantic and complicated just trying to fit everything in. You may think that you couldn’t possibly have time amidst it all to make your own gifts for family and friends…

Think again – because thanks to the versatility of our favourite nut, you can easily make unique and personalised Christmas gifts for friends and family. With just a few hours of baking or making, you can whip up big quantities of these presents. So not only will you get the Christmas ‘shopping’ done in one afternoon (freeing up your time to enjoy the festivities), you’ll also have tokens on hand for when unexpected (or perhaps forgotten) relatives drop by. 

Start now and the silly season will seem simpler and even more special.

Homemade lip balm

Homemade lip balm is simple to make with nourishing macadamia oil. Simply melt the ingredients together over a low heat and pour into small lip-balm pots (available from soap making supply stores). 

Great for: work colleagues or school teachers.

Beauty scrubs and body oil blends

Take on the mantra “let food be thy medicine” and make beauty products from edible ingredients for anyone in your life who is extra-stressed. Hit the supermarket for Epsom salts, macadamia oil, raw sugar, lemons and limes for this body scrub. Or try blending your own body oil.

Great for: best friends or sisters,

Nut mixes

Flavoured, roasted macadamias are always a hit at Christmas drinks, but you can make a big batch and divide them into small bags to give as teacher thank yous and tasty gifts for the hard-to-buy for people in your life. Christmas Spiced Macadamias will help anyone get into the festive spirit. 

Great for: Dad, Grandad and that Uncle you can never know what to buy.

Cookies

Baking up a big batch of biscuits is a great way to save time and make gifts for lots of people at once. Simply add macadamias to your usual choc-chip cookie mixture to make it instantly special. A big batch of biscotti is also handy and keeps for a while. Sweet, tart and crunchy, the berry and macadamia combination in these Christmas macadamias cookies will be welcomed by friends. Dip them in chocolate for something extra special. And when the weather is hot try these no bake recipes so you don’t have to turn the oven on.

Great for: End of year parties.

Jams

Homemade jams, preserves and pickles are making a comeback among serious foodies. If your friends and family fit that description, why not incorporate macadamias into condiments and give them as gifts. A spicy macadamia chilli jam is good for people who don’t have a sweet tooth and for those that do, combine mangos and macadamias in a jar with a Mango Coconut Macadamia Conserve. Don’t forget to sterilise the jars before you add the jams to make sure the gift lasts as long as possible.

Great for: The foodie cousin you only see at Christmas.

How will you show some macadamia love this Christmas? Head over to our Facebook page and let us know.