So I went out looking for more-unusual holiday projects that an industrious crafter can tackle with a humble inkjet (or laser) printer. Among my discoveries: Christmas tree ornaments that you can create at home, print-it-yourself gift boxes, and a dreidel modeled on Star Wars' R2-D2.
Thanks to the detailed instructions available online, you don't have to be an artist to tackle any of these projects. All you need is a printer, a little time, and (in some instances) special paper.
Ornaments
Christmas trees start going up the day after Thanksgiving (or if you're a champion, sometime before Thanksgiving), so why not make this year's tree unique with handmade, printable tree ornaments? It's a fun project that everyone can enjoy--and it might even save you some money.
For another geeky twist, Spacestation42.com has what it calls Fractal Fidgets papercrafts. They're 12-sided shapes with pictures of fractals on each of the sides--just string some ribbon through them and you'll have enchanting, dodecahedral ornaments.
Nativity Scenes
As Christmas approaches, many people decorate their homes with the famous manger scene; and lots of places on the Web will show you how to make your own.
Nativity scenes not your thing? Try making a papercraft Christmas tree instead--here's a cute one that even includes tiny ornaments (the instructions are in Japanese, but the images are reasonably self-explanatory). Canon also has a couple of Christmas tree projects, including this basic one and this more advanced tree with cutouts for hanging ornaments.
Gift Boxes
For many people, the holiday season is all about the pleasure of personalized gift-giving. If you're one of them, why not skip the generic in-store gift wrapping and make your own holiday gift boxes.
If you're not a huge fan of Disney or Tiny Tim, HP has other options. Try its Christmas Tree Wrap set, with templates and instructions for a gift bag, a gift box, a gift card, and wrapping paper; or give this hot pink holiday gift box a whirl. If you're looking for a home-made holder for cash or a gift card, you might like HP's Holiday Memories gift card holder.
One thing to note: These gift boxes and bags are optimized for printing on regular-size (8.5-by-11-inch) paper, so they'll accomodate only small gifts such as jewelry. You can always blow them up and print them on larger sheets of paper (though the designs might get fuzzy), or you can design your own gift boxes using this template (you have the option of importing this plain template into Photoshop to embellish it, or you can print it immediately and break out the crayons).
Gift Tags
Though you can purchase packages of gift tags at just about any store that sells wrapping paper, it's a lot more fun to print your own!
You have two choices for printing out gift tags: You can print them on regular paper (thicker is better) and affix them to your presents with tape, ribbon, or colored string, or you can go the extra step and print them on sticker paper (try Avery Sticker Makers Printable Sheets).