DIY THANKFUL GIFT BOX (WE FILLED OURS WITH COOKIES!)

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This post is sponsored by The Quaker Oats Company, all opinions are 100% my own.

 

The holidays are a time of togetherness with your family. But for me, it’s also a time of the never-ending to-do list. I am changing that this year by including my children in much more than ever before. Instead of worrying about making picture-perfect holiday cookies and gorgeously wrapped gifts, we are making things together from the heart. The best part is all the time together we get while creating these gifts. One of the other challenges we have around the holidays is how quickly the cost of so many gifts add up. This DIY Thankful Gift Box is frugal, fun and you can do it with your kids, even really really little ones!

 

We made our gift box with our Quaker oatmeal canister, paper, and markers. You don’t even have to be crafty to do this. Did you know that this round canister design is 100 years old? That’s right – this round design was an innovation at the time and it is turning 100! Throughout its 138-year history, Quaker has enjoyed many additional firsts. In 1891, Quaker introduced the first recipe ever on a package – Oatmeal Bread – and in 1908, introduced the first cookie recipe on a package – Oat Cakes. Today’s Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies recipe is one of the recipes we are using, although we swapped out the raisins for peanut butter chips!

 

My daughter loves cooking or baking with me. While there is so much to learn while cooking, like measurement and conservation, there are even more important things to learn about each other. Time in the kitchen is really time for us. The fact that we were making these cookies as a gift for someone special was another lesson in giving. Giving isn’t only taught around the holidays. It’s an everyday lesson.

 

She did her best to read me the ingredients on the inside of the lid.

I think this was the first time I let her really use the controls on the mixer. She did great!

While we wait for the cookies to bake, we grab the plain paper and markers for decorating our DIY Thankful Gift Box. She experimented with holding various markers at once. I love the result!

Next, use double stick tape to attach the two drawings, and add washi tape on the lid to make it pretty!

Finally, add the ribbon and cookies and now it’s ready to give it to someone special. Time together doesn’t have to mean you have to pause your to-do list. You might just have to chill out and not worry about picture-perfect wrapping with your DIY Thankful Gift Box. Real family memories are well worth that trade.