Gift giving is one of those activities that is enjoyed by the giver and the recipient. The giving gifts on Christmas to your loved ones need not be always expensive and stressful. Christmas is a season of delightful memories and exciting get-togethers, spreading the word of love and togetherness with each other.

When planning your Christmas gifts why not make some candies or fudge to give to those older friends and relatives as I am sure they will love to receive some homemade treats. What is so good about them is that they can be packaged up to look fantastic and also unique.

Here are some ideas which can help you make Christmas candies an ideal gift:

    Candy Garland: a candy garland can make an attractive gift and you can arrange them in a pretty manner. To make a candy garland all you have to do is take separate colored candies and tie them up individually on a long chain. You can give these garlands to your loved ones to hang up on the Christmas tree. Each day, one could untie a candy until the Christmas Day.
    Candy Vase: Christmas candies can be wrapped up and neatly aligned on a flower vase, making it yet another attractive option for gifting your loved ones. All you need to do is to take an aluminum can and wrap it up with a sticky tape then take long, attractive candies and stick them on the can in an attractive design. Of if you have smaller candies, just form a design as you stick them to the outside of the tin. This would make a nice candy flower vase.
    Candy Christmas tree: you could take a miniature version of a Christmas tree by using a foam tree shape and stick nice colorful lollipops or candies into it and make it look like lights on a Christmas tree and give them to your loved ones or use them for a table center or decoration for a side table.
    Sleigh Candy: Christmas candies can be arranged in a box that can be made to look like a sleigh. To make a gift like this, all you need to do is to take the bottom of a box and shape them up in the form of a sleigh. You could paint the box red, cover it with red foil or leave it as it is. Now you can cut holes in the base of the box and insert candy canes which will look like runners, then fill the sleigh with other candies.

Christmas candies are always a pleasurable delight and an irresistible treat for everyone. Christmas is a festive occasion when even the calorie conscious might overlook a little bit of these delicious temptations.

Making candies for your Christmas gifts or even to have around the family areas for Xmas treats can not only bring joy but can please whoever takes a look at it. Choose candies that you like best and try to put in all your creativity to make some stunning gift options. Use contrasting  werbemittel präsente colors and Christmas colors so that the display looks very attractive and festive.

Kaye Dennan has been in commercial catering for many years and has a strong understand about what is needed for a successful Christmas gathering. For valuable tips and information on Christmas entertaining and best of all, for hundreds of recipes visit http://christmas-medley.com where you will be able to find the answers to your Christmas recipe problems, meals, snacks, dips, cookies and other treats.

Making candies at home is not something which is new. People have been making candies of different tastes and shapes since years. You will see that making rock candy at homes has been the most favorite thing which kids and even adults can do. Making a rock candy means that you have grown crystals on your own, which you can eat and enjoy what you have made. This activity is interesting and creative because you get to make colorful candies. These candies are actually sugar crystals. If you look peep into the history of candy making, then you will come to know that it was the rock candy, which was first made. These candies are actually the clusters of sugar granules. You can make a rock candy at home by following a simple and easy recipe.

Things/Ingredients You Need

    Sugar 2-4cups
    Water 1 cup
    Food color
    Cotton string
    Glass jar
    Butter knife
    Saucepan
    Stove
    Candy thermometer
    Oil(to brush/grease)

Method

The candy making process is not mind busting as some people claim it to be. All you need are the right tools and processes to make it happen with an added dose of patience. For the many out there that are in search for recipes for candy, there are a lot of resources that you can look into.

The best and foremost authority is the internet. It's pretty simple. All you need to do is to a search engine either yahoo or Google and type in your keywords. For sure, you will be given an endless list of recipes that you can choose from that will WOW you to near death. Examples of effective keywords that will help you generate the right results include homemade candy making recipes, recipes for chocolates, etc. There is no limit so experiment. However, if you are searching for a specific candy recipe, going to cooking show sites will surely give you what you are looking for. If you do not watch too much TV and are unaware of what cooking shows to search just key - in cooking website as your keywords and you'll be looking at some cooking show sites in no time. Recipes for candy making are very diverse and I guarantee you that not every one of them will work for you. So when looking at each recipe you should do so with an open mind. If one recipe doesn't work for you don't beat yourself up especially if that was the recipe you were dying to try. One of the most common factors that people contend with is the availability of the flavor extract. Not every flavor is available in all countries so this might prove to be a painful realization for die - hard candy lovers far and near.

Rock candy is perhaps the most sought after candy to make and there too are certain factors we need to consider when venturing into this candy making process. The most common factor for consideration is tools. Making rock candies requires the use of candy werbemittel präsente thermometers. Another factor is the weather considering that the humidity of your area can play a crucial role in ensuring that the consistency of your rock candy is good.

So there you have it, quick tips on how to find recipes for candy making. Just remember, that not all recipes will work for you. Certain factors will always have instrumental roles in determining whether or not a recipe will be compatible. Just remember, never give up!

Candy molds are very essential in the home candy making process. This is primarily because they give shape and form to the candies you are making. If you do not use any mold, your candy will surely look like a gooey mess. Have you seen Slimer from the Ghost busters? I hope you have because not using molds will make your candies look exactly like him. Indeed, the appearance and presentation of your homemade candies will matter and you will need to purchase the right candy molds for this so that your candies will give off the right appeal.

Molds are generally made from silicon and there are some that are made from plastic. There are also some made from metal but these are generally much more expensive than the two that were just mentioned. In terms of durability, the silicon based mold is the most durable of the trio and the most flexible as well. Your next best option for selection would be the metal molds. They do not share the same flexibility as the silicon based molds but they can easily withstand the extreme temperature of the candy mixture. Although there is a tendency for the candy mixture to stick to the surface of the candies, this can be combated by applying a small amount of butter to the cavities of the metal molds. homemade candies cannot hold on to grease and applying butter will make their removal so much easier. The same should be done with a baking liner that you will be utilize to get the finished product.

Plastic molds on the other hand are the cheapest to acquire out of the three and you can readily find them in any grocery store. However, they do not share the flexibility of the silicon based molds and the strength of the metal molds against the heat of the candy mixture. Selecting the mold to use will be very dependent on the type of candy you are making.

So I guess another question to ask, is where can you buy these molds. Your local grocery shop should provide you with some answers. Most grocery stores sell basic candy molds with common shapes. But if you want to find the uniquely shaped ones for the extremely creative - minded, going to websites will do just the trick for you. There are sites that sell molds shaped liked dog paws and so many more.

So with everything that was mentioned, always remember that the molds of your homemade candies are only limited by your imagination. If you want the normal shaped ones, go to your local grocery store but if you are looking for the uniquely shaped one, the internet is the source to go to or you can ask a local expert in candy making.