Handmade gifts are the best. They are also the hardest (unless you are making your parents an ashtray out of elementary school clay — never mind that they haven’t smoked since the ’80s).

To give you a little inspiration, here are a few culinary and artistic ideas. None of them are too difficult but to be even more helpful the gift ideas are arranged from hardest to easiest (feel free to just skip down to the bottom!).

Food gifts from “Food Gifts”

“America’s Test Kitchen” cast member Elle Simone Scott’s recent cookbook “Food Gifts” ($24, americastestkitchen.com) has more than 150 ideas for wonderful, edible presents. Yes, there are oodles and oodles of sweet treats, but, well, even calling it a cookbook falls short. There are recipes for spiced nuts, tea blends, and Bloody Mary mix. There are tips (build a personalized basket), tricks (how to add labels to your jars), and extensive notes on how to pack and ship stuff. This one came first because whipping up chocolate-covered caramels isn’t exactly a walk in the park, but honestly the book has such a range of gifts it belongs both first and last.

Mix Tapes

Sending your crush a Spotify playlist is straight up sad. Now we’re not saying you should stand in front of said crush’s house with a boombox blasting “In Your Eyes” (partly, ‘cuz where you gonna get a boombox in 2024?). Instead, say “And all my instincts, they return/And the grand facade, so soon will burn” with the romance of a mix tape. Amazingly, in 2024, you can make that special someone a mix with We Are Rewind’s cassette players ($159, wearerewind.com). The company brings the Walkman-style players into the modern world with a rechargeable battery and built-in Bluetooth. For the full Rewind experience, make that mix on Maxell. Yes, the classic company still makes blank tapes — go for a few extra songs with the 90-minute cassette ($8 for a two pack, maxell-usa.com).

Cheese, Boards, and Cheese Boards

First, start with a selection of cheeses from our city’s top shop, Formaggio Kitchen. Try Garrotxa St. Gil for a traditional Catalan goat’s milk cheese that is more dynamic — savory, sour, rich! — than a Spanish Manchego. Or Brebirousse d’Argental, a sheep’s milk from Lyon, for something that tastes like the platonic ideal of a marriage between butter and cream cheese. Or Comté Gourmandise, a younger Comté you can pair with a pickle slice, hunk of bread, or a bit of jam. Formaggio has loads more choices so stop by a location for help (formaggiokitchen.com).

For the board, Âme Atendre has the rare one that works as a carving block and a beautiful serving platter. Its 11×14-inch cutting surface fits all the cheeses you’ll need but it looks elegant and features a ½-inch juice groove, two mirrored cut out handles and has been handcrafted ($350, ameatendre.com).

Cocktails & Cookies

Wanna sorta kinda make a gift while letting someone else do the heavy lifting? Well, New Hampshire’s Fabrizia Lemon Baking Company has loads of gift boxes. We suggest the Hot Toddy Box ($45.99, fabrizialemonbakingcompany.com) because it comes with loads of goodies already — yum to the Limoncello cookies  and biscotti. But it also has dehydrated lemon slices, cinnamon sticks and a pair of mugs so you can elevate it all by making your own boozy beverage to go with it. For a can’t-fail winter warmer, mix one part Massachusetts-based Star & Key VSOP Rum ($45, starandkeyrum.com) with two parts of your favorite New England apple cider, heat up on the stove, and just add the Fabrizia garnishes.

“Food Gifts” by Elle Simone Scott. (Photo courtesy americastestkitchen.com)
The Hot Toddy Box from Fabrizia Lemon Baking Company. (Photo courtesy Fabrizia Lemon Baking Company)