Very interesting about the bags. I use reuseable ones except for with meat where I worry about bacteria. New Jersey has not passed any laws yet that I know of.
I didn't make any gifts this year because I didn't want to feel the pressure to get them done. One exception was that I made crayon roll-ups for the kids in my sons class. There are only 9 kids and I made them in an afternoon. One of the parents actually wrote me a thank you and the occupational therapist wrote a note about how much she loved them (within the thank you note for her gift card). I may make her one too.