Beach Treasures and Treasure Beaches

Rock Barnacle Found Beachcombing at Newport, Oregon (Photo ©Jody Diehl)

Haven’t finished your shopping yet? You could be cutting it pretty close! Never fear, though, because you can still get or make these fun, beachy gifts before the holiday.

We’ve divided the gifting ideas into two categories: one for people with ready-access to the beach and one for those who live too far away to get there and back before Christmas. Many of these ideas are described in greater detail somewhere else on this website, so I’ve added the links so you can take a closer look!

For those of us living by the beach:

There is still time to make some lovely crafts to give, decorate your tree, or to jazz up your gifts!

1. Find a number of shells (or stones) from the beach that have a hole made by Mother Nature. Thread some ribbon through them for a quick and easy gift decoration or ornament. You could also make a very giftable pendant by this same technique.

A happy (limpet) memory for our Christmas tree!

2. The sea shell salt shaker: always a lovely and thoughtful gift. Head over to your local Target, Walmart, or wherever clear, glass shakers of all sizes are sold. Depending on the yield of your sandy shores, pick an appropriate shaker size for your current collection or head to the beach. Simply scoop up some shells and smooth beach glass! Be extra careful to make sure you only take home shells that have lost their residents. At home, you may want to clean the shells and set them out to dry. Place them piece by piece into the shaker to give it a personal touch. We often cover the top of the glass with plastic wrap before screwing on the cap, or you can cut out a bit of thin card stock, so that the shaker won’t leak shell bits if upturned. Tie a ribbon bow to the top to give it a festive touch!

Salt Shakers “On Display”

3. A short while ago, Jody and E.G.D. had a wonderful project of turning large bivalve shells into angels and carolers. Everything you need to know is here.

Seashell Christmas Ornaments (Photo ©Jody Diehl)

4. A fun idea for children to make and give is the classic Beach in a Bottle. This thoughtful and inexpensive gift can stay on Nana’s shelf year-round.

For those of us living far from the sea:

If the receiver of your holiday gift-giving merriment is a fellow beach-lover, then here are some ideas to help share the love for those of us who can’t get to the beach.

1. Cookies! Homemade Christmas goodies always make wonderful gifts. You should be able to find beach-themed cookie cutters at a local cooking store (for us, it’s Now We’re Cooking). You have free rein: the sky is the limit to your creativity! You can decorate gingerbread seashell shapes or simply make a sugar cookie you can decorate with fun, Sunset Tellin seashell colored icing (or any color, for that matter).

Sand Dollar Cookies Heading into the Oven

If you don’t have a specialty store with an extensive cookie cutter selection nearby, you can easily make the “Festive Sand Dollar Cookies” that Jody made last week. We’ve been eating them happily for days!

2. If you’d rather buy than make, that’s perfectly okay! A candle is a  beach-inspired gift you can buy. Yankee Candle makes a variety of beach scents: Beach Walk, Beach Wood, Christmas at the Beach, Coconut Bay, Pink Sands, and Sun & Sand. A plus of going to Yankee Candle is that you can mix and match a dozen votive candles, so you can gift a variety of scents. If you don’t have a Yankee Candle store nearby, you might be able to find what you’re looking for at Cracker Barrel or Kohl’s (they both carry Yankee brand along with other brands). You can also shop online, but it will cost a little more in shipping to have it arrive on time.

3. Give the gift of music this holiday! One way to get into the Christmas spirit is to listen to your holiday favorites. Here are some CDs that remind us of the holidays and the sunny seashore with links to Amazon (only so you can see the album covers, not because we endorse shopping at Amazon).

The Beach Boys: Merry Christmas from The Beach Boys/Christmas with The Beach Boys/The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album

From Hawaii: Hawaiian Slack Key Christmas/Kī hō ‘alu Christmas Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar/Hawaiian Style Christmas/Hawaiian Style Christmas 2

Hopefully our list got you thinking of more holiday gift ideas! Please feel free to share them with us in the comment section. We’d love to hear about your last-minute and beachy gifting ideas!

Mele Kalikimaka lā ‘Oe!

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