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This time of year, I love to take the opportunity to thank the people who make an impact on my family’s lives. If I could, I’d give them all what they deserve- week long vacations for the teachers, a weekend away for the office aides at the school, a fancy steak meal for the mail carrier… the list goes on and on.

Unfortunately, I can’t even afford to give things like that {except for maybe the steak dinner} to my own husband, let alone every single person who touches our lives- so I find a middle ground.

I want to give them a small token of my appreciation, but I don’t want to break the bank. I love making creative gifts that I can make for just a couple of dollars per item. It’s even better when I can make a whole bunch of them at once, because while the people on my shopping list all deserve lots of time spent on them, I simply don’t have that time around the holidays. I’m sure you can relate!

Christmas gifts are fun to give, but when you have to think of ideas for teachers, for coworkers, and for friends- it adds up fast. This easy DIY Gift in a Jar recipe is a great- and cheap- way to give a small food gift to those you love at the holidays. {It’s great for women and even for teens!}

Gifts in a Jar are always perfect for these types of situations. You can stretch the ingredients over several items, and they still show that you took the time to think about them. Most importantly, they are {hopefully!} something that lets the recipient spend a little time indulging themselves {like with these DIY Homemade Scrubs in Chocolate and Sugar Cookie} or just taking some time to unwind- like with these Hot Cocoa Jars!

To assemble these fun homemade gifts in a jar, just follow the easy directions below. Make sure you grab the free printable too to really make the gift special! Hopefully, this Christmas they’ll be sipping on their Hot Cocoa and realizing how much you appreciate them.

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Gift Jars

Homemade hot cocoa mix {recipe below!}
16 oz. pint jars with lids
Printable gift tags {grab them below!}
1 package of mini marshmallows
1 package of chocolate chips
Peppermint candies {I found mine in the bulk section at my local grocer}

Directions:

Fill your pint jars about ½ way with the Hot Cocoa Mix.
Next, add around ¼ Cup of Mini Marshmallows.
Then, add around ¼ Cup of Chocolate Chips.
For the final layer, unwrap 5-6 Peppermint Candies.
Close the jar and attach the gift tag with twine, baker’s twine, or ribbon.

Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

Ingredients:

2 C. powdered milk
1 C. cocoa powder
2 C. powdered sugar
1 C. powdered regular flavor coffee creamer
1 tsp. of cornstarch (optional but prevents clumping)

Directions:

Combine all the dry ingredients and mix well.

Want more hot cocoa goodness? Try these DIY Hot Cocoa Bombs!