A Can, a Pot - a creative gift!

Take a clean, dry can from soup or canned vegetables. You can buy paint cans from Home Depot or Lowes as well.
Using craft acrylic paints and your imagination, paint the cans for the holidays.
This is a great project for kids too. Right now my family is working on painting jack-o-lanterns: simply paint a can orange, let it dry, repeat if needed, and then use black to make the face. Fill the can with candy, tissue paper, pencils, etc.
We're also working on snowmen and I plan on painting the top part black and putting paper around the black for the rim of Mr. Snowman's top hat. The larger cans could be filled with baked goods, fudge, etc. The smaller one's can be filled with candy and mints. I've seen some that are painted with a design then spatter-painted which looks quite neat. This is a nice way to recycle cans into something useful and fun. I'm thinking that candy canes will look nice for the holidays.
Another similar idea is to buy the smallest terra-cotta plant pots from the store, paint them, and put small votive candles in them. Silver and gold stars are nice for a holiday theme but you could do whatever suits your fancy. I'm sure you could use larger pots with pillar candles for a bigger centerpiece. Don't forget all the gorgeous ribbons available! Tie a few on!
You don't have to be a great artist to do these. A folk-art style is simple and looks great.