Homemade Christmas gifts made easy!

Kira Zabe
December 11, 2021
Herbal oil, bath bomb, keychain, soap, scrub, candles, bookmark, calendar, syrup or baking mixes. These are the most commonly suggested ideas when searching for "Christmas gifts DIY". Homemade Christmas gifts are the most sustainable way to give. They can include a personal touch when it comes to making family and friends happy. After all, the gifts that come from the heart are the most beautiful gifts! Moreover, it allows more time to enjoy the Christmas season in a relaxed and contemplative manner.
Christmas Presents Idea
Pinterest, Chefkoch, Utopia, Lecker.de, and Handmadedecor are sites that can be used when searching for the perfect Christmas gift. However, with the abundance of inspiration, I often feel overwhelmed and struggle to decide what the best gift is. We want to support you in this and have listed a selection of ideas here that can all be implemented last minute. Have fun getting inspired.
Cooking box
Gift baskets are indeed the most well-known way to give presents. However, it has lost some of its appeal. Since the advent of organic boxes or HelloFresh, cooking boxes have become popular everyday aids. Why not take advantage of this? Put together your own cooking box in a great crate. Maybe even of the favorite dish?
Chai Syrup
Chai flavor is an indispensable addition often added to coffee or hot milk. With just a few ingredients, you can prepare the syrup yourself. Labeling the bottle with your own label and decorating it nicely really makes it visually appealing.
Ingredients:
300 gr. Sugar
450 ml Water
1 tsp Cloves
1 tsp Cardamom
1 Cinnamon Stick
2 cm Fresh Ginger
Exfoliation for the senses
Freshly brewed coffee makes the senses soar. Using this for a relaxed wellness session adds an extra dose of relaxation. Therefore, do not dispose of the coffee grounds in the organic waste, but create a great scrub. 5 tbsp coffee grounds 2 tbsp olive oil Mix everything and fill the mixture into a screw jar. This can also be enhanced with a nice label.
Source: lybstes.de
Leporello
The term Leporello suggests something special, which in my opinion it truly is. After all, there's nothing more beautiful than capturing special moments in a photograph. Having these with you at all times or displayed as decoration brings a smile to your face whenever you look at them.
Instructions:
- Cardboard (elongated strip)
- Greyboard (2 mm thick)
- Decorative paper
- Bookbinder's glue or another strong adhesive
- Elastic
Fold the cardboard in a zigzag pattern. (Make sure a photo can fit in one folded section). Cut the greyboard to a size that covers the outer folded edges. Cut the decorative paper so that you can fold the edges to the back. Glue the decorative paper onto the greyboard and then adhere it to the outer sides of the folded cardboard. Before doing so, glue the elastic on one side. Now you can stick your photos in. Your personal accordion fold book is complete.
Make your own chocolate bark
Chocolate bark
Do you enjoy giving gifts that delight the senses? How about some bark chocolate? You can refine it individually with toppings. 600 g of chocolate (mixed types if desired)Toppings (nuts, dried fruits, colorful sprinkles, herbs, cookie crumbs, or whatever your heart desires)Break the chocolate and spread it out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the baking sheet in the oven at 50 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes. Once the chocolate has melted, you can draw patterns with a fork and then garnish with the toppings. Finally, put the sheet in the refrigerator to cool. When the chocolate has hardened again, you can break it into pieces and fill it into jars.
Christmas decorations in a jar
Would you prefer to give something that can be enjoyed for a long time? Then decoration in a storage jar (e.g., a pickle jar) might be an idea. This way, you can create a little snowscape that can be enjoyed for years to come.
Joint excursion
Giving the gift of time is perhaps the most precious gift one can give. Thus, a trip to the zoo, climbing forest, museum, and more can be a special idea.
Give the gift of animal sponsorship
Give the gift of animal sponsorship
Does the person you're gifting to absolutely love animals? How about sponsoring an animal? You can reach out to a local animal shelter.
Subscription as a gift!
Want to support friends and family in appreciating food? How about gifting a subscription for the pantry? You'll get a 15% discount on every plan. Just enter the code "ORANGE15" when booking to take advantage of this benefit. The code is valid until 12/31/2021.
Are you now one step further and know what you can give as a gift? We're glad to hear that. Feel free to write to us at info@speisekammer.app and let us know what your personal benefit from this post was? We look forward to your message!




Why we never stop refining Smantry β¨
At Smantry, we don't believe in 'finished'.
An app that is meant to accompany people in their daily lives is never complete β it grows, changes, and evolves. Just like the people who use it. π
We regularly pay attention to every detail:
How does a click feel? Is the path to a function clear enough? Does the idea behind a new view come across intuitively?
Sometimes it's just tiny things that make the difference β a better-placed button, a simplified overview, or a sentence that suddenly becomes clearer.
What drives us is the idea that Smantry should feel easy, familiar, and meaningful.
We want you to open the app and feel: "Ah, this is exactly how it should work."
Of course, not everything always goes perfectly. But that's exactly the point: We take the time to listen, to observe, to reconsider. Every piece of feedback, every use case, every new idea helps us to understand a little better what really matters.
Smantry is not a rigid product for us β it's a living process. A collaborative project that grows step by step.
And every update, every small improvement is a sign that we are on the right track:
A path to an app that doesn't feel like technology, but like support.
Towards a daily life that becomes simpler. Towards clarity, structure β and maybe even a bit of ease. πΏ
We're staying on it.
Because we are convinced that good things take time β and that it's worth creating them with heart.
Your
Smantry-Team

π± Staying on track made easy: How to stay motivated to create order and avoid food waste
We all know it: Initially, the motivation is high! You finally want to get your kitchen organized, keep an eye on your supplies, and shop more consciously. But after a few weeks, everyday life creeps back in β and the good resolutions start to falter.
With Smantry we want to support you not only in getting started, but also in sticking with it in the long term. πͺβ¨
1. Be aware of why you are doing this
Order and sustainability are not short-term trends β they grant you freedom, time, and a good feeling. If you know why you want to keep your supplies in check or throw away less food, it becomes much easier to stay consistent.
π Tip: Write down your 'why' in the app note or as a reminder.
2. Set small, achievable goals
Nobody becomes an organizing pro overnight. Start small:
- Today I'm just organizing the spice rack.
- Check the fridge this week.
- On your next shopping trip, purposefully buy only what you really need.
Small steps lead to success β and success motivates!
3. Make it easy for yourself β with smart helpers
Smantry automatically reminds you of expiring products, helps you keep track of your inventory, and assists you with shopping. This way, you have to think less and can enjoy more.
π The less effort required, the easier it is to stick with it!
4. Celebrate your progress π
Creating order or avoiding waste is a process, not a sprint. Regularly review what you have already accomplished β you may already see that you need to throw away less or that your supply is finally manageable. That's great!
5. Make it part of your routine
Schedule fixed 'Smantry moments': for example, briefly check the inventory on Sundays or update the shopping list before going shopping. Routines provide structure and make sustainable actions a matter of course.
π Conclusion:
Motivation is not a perpetual flame β but with the right tools and habits, you can reignite it time and again.
With Smantry, you have a smart companion by your side that helps you stay organized, consume more consciously, and incidentally do something good for yourself and the environment.

More clarity when shopping: How Open Food Facts and the Smantry app make nutrition transparent
Many foods look healthy at first glance β but what's really inside them? Are the nutritional values balanced? How processed is a product? And what impact does it have on our environment?
This is exactly where the Smantry-App comes in: It uses the globally open database Open Food Facts, to give you immediate clarity when scanning your items. But what's actually behind the colorful labels like Nutri-Score, NOVA or Eco-Score, that you encounter in the app?
Let's take a closer look at the background.
Open Food Facts: From the Idea to a Global Database
The journey began in 2012 with the founding of Open Food Facts β a non-profit organization that collects, analyzes, and makes food information freely accessible worldwide. The goal from the beginning was to provide consumers with scientifically substantiated information.
What started as a small project has now become a global platform with millions of products. And it is precisely this data that the Smantry-App uses to give you a clear overview directly on your smartphone.
An overview of the most important scores
1. Nutri-Score β how healthy is my product?
Since 2016, the Nutri-Score has been legally established in France β and it has quickly spread throughout Europe.
- A (green) means: very balanced.
- E (red) means: unbalanced, enjoy in moderation.
The rating is based on calories, sugar, salt, saturated fats β but also on positive factors such as fiber, protein, and the proportion of vegetables.
π So in the Smantry app, you can see at a glance whether a food item fits into your everyday life β or perhaps should be on the table less often.
2. NOVA-Score β how processed is it?
Not only the ingredients, but also the degree of processing plays a significant role for health. This is exactly what the NOVA-Score (integrated into Open Food Facts since 2018) shows you:
- 1 = unprocessed or minimally processed (e.g., fresh fruit, plain yogurt)
- 2 = ingredients such as vegetable oils, sugar, flour
- 3 = processed foods (e.g., bread, cheese, canned goods)
- 4 = highly processed products ("Ultra-Processed Food"), often with additives, flavors, and industrial processes
π With the Smantry app, you can instantly tell if a product is still 'close to nature' β or if it falls into the category of being highly processed.
3. Eco-Score (soon to be Green-Score) β how sustainable is my shopping?
Since 2019, Open Food Facts also includes an environmental assessment: the Eco-Score. It takes into account, among other things:
- COβ emissions from production and transportation,
- Packaging and recyclability,
- Origin and seasonal factors.
The rating is β similar to the Nutri-Score β from A (very eco-friendly) to E (less sustainable).
By 2025, this will become the Green-Score, which will take into account even more detailed data and thus provide you with even better guidance for sustainable consumption.
π For you in the Smantry app, this means: You can see not only whether a food is healthy for you, but also whether it is good for our planet.
What this means for you as a Smantry user
Currently, you can scan your products in the Smantry-App and view many details. The scores themselves are not yet integrated β but the integration is planned.
This means: Soon you will be able to see not only the nutritional values of a product but also how healthy, processed, or sustainable it is β all directly in your app.
Conclusion: Your Smart Nutrition Compass
The colorful labels are much more than pretty symbols. They are your quick compass in everyday life β whether you want to shop with health consciousness, reduce highly processed products, or pay attention to the environment.
With the Smantry-App you already have strong support for more transparency while shopping. And with the planned integration of the scores, it will become even more valuable β your smart nutritional compass for the future.

Cooking with the Future: Augmented Reality and Smart Interfaces for Your Recipes
Thatβs exactly what augmented reality (AR) and smart interfaces bring to the table. They project digital information where you need it most: into your cooking environment. This makes it easier to stay organized, cook more efficiently, and even reduce waste β because less stress in the kitchen often means fewer forgotten or spoiled ingredients.
And hereβs where Smantry comes in. The app already helps you keep track of your pantry, avoid food waste, and stay in control of your kitchen. With upcoming features like leftover-based recipe suggestions, youβre already stepping into the smart kitchen future today.
π Bottom line: The kitchen of tomorrow is here β and itβs efficient, sustainable, and surprisingly fun.