I'd say sugar scrubs, but you want them to be edible. Hmm. Could you roast your own coffee and then add some spices to make a festive holiday mix? Or make a spicy hot cocoa mix?

Truffles are easy and customizable... think dark chocolate ganache flavored with grand marnier rolled in cocoa nibs, white chocolate ganache with peppermint extract, milk chocolate ones dusted with cinnamon sugar, etc.

Homemade jam or jelly (check out the blog Food In Jars for tasty, easy and SAFE! canning recipes).

Spice mixes, like Indian Garam Masala, Ethiopian Berbere, etc.

I also really like Kestrel's coffee idea. You can check out Sweet Maria's for good info on home roasting, as well as to pick up green beans to roast.

Biscotti are great, if you use a no-butter recipe, they'll keep for a long time so are a good choice for a make ahead gift (unfortunately if you use butter, the flavor dissipates quickly, just like in cookies when the butter starts to turn it affects the other flavors). I make treats for each person, just what they really like, and one friend returns her empty biscotti jar to me every year for her Christmas 'refill'.

Chocolate bark, or customized chocolate bars (I have one friend who loves the combination of chilies with pistachios), will last longer than a truffle made with a cream-based ganache (any dairy product limits shelf life).

Some of the German/Austrian/Swiss baked goods are specifically designed to be made in advance and have a long shelf life. Look for recipes like lebkuchen, speculatius (in Dutch it's speculaas), birnbrot (a spiced pear bread that I make every year), stollen (you can make classic with or without marzipan - or - your own version - I make both classic and a bittersweet chocolate/cherry version).

popcorn kernals with different flavor/spices mixes
for instance a sugar/cinnamin mix, a spicy mix, and a sea salt and cheddar mix

I saw this somewhere (sorry I can't remember in order to cite the source)

This year I am making gift boxes with homemade fresh pasta, canned pasta sauce, and herb-infused olive oil. Cheap, easy, yummy! Plus, it's not all junk food, which is a refreshing departure.

granola, it will keep for a few weeks if stored in an airtight container/ziptop bag (make crunchy granola and keep "dried" fruit out of it to maintain the dry-ness, or else it will get "chewy" and soft and could go bad faster due to the moisture).

What about something like pannetone or stollen. They last a long time and are very pretty and special. I really like Carol Fields Pannetone recipe, fwiw.

A yummy and fairly simple idea is to make candied lemon (or orange) peels. They are unique, tasty, can also be dipped in dark or white chocolate (I usually just dip them halfway or 2/3 of the way so people can still see the lemon), and you can store them a long time in an airtight jar (which you can then decorate and use for gift-giving)!

These sugared cranberries are delicious and look really nice in a bowl as decoration:

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/sparkling-cranberries-recipe.html

The brightness of lemon or lime curd in a pretty little jar with a gingham print lid and a rustic lil nametag is always a win in the winter time! Blood orange curd is also pretty great.

Peppermint bark! I've made it for two years now and it goes over well. It's also super easy to make a large batch of and keep in the fridge until you're ready.

Paula Deen's recipe is the most straightforward: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/peppermint-bark-recipe/index.html

if they drink, an infused alcohol might be nice - pretty bottles are fairly inexpensive

I made the Chocolate Toffee Matzo Candy posted here in 2008: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/sweets/recipe-chocolate-toffee-matzo-candy-047589

Was cheap and easy to make in bulk and a huge a hit last Christmas and I think I might make it a Christmas tradition, it was that good! I used toasted pecans & walnuts instead of pistachios, I dunno, sounds more festive. ><

Homemade vanilla extract: http://munchinwithmunchkin.com/2011/11/29/vanilla-extract/

Candied ginger or pomelo rind: http://munchinwithmunchkin.com/2011/12/01/candied-ginger/

http://munchinwithmunchkin.com/2011/11/28/candied-pomelo-rind/

or chocolate bark?: http://munchinwithmunchkin.com/2011/11/15/cranberry-pistachio-chocolate-bark/

http://munchinwithmunchkin.com/2011/11/25/candy-cane-chocolate-bark/

I'm doing homemade caramels this year, with the salted caramels recipe and gift packaging ideas posted here. :)

mmmm...homemade salted caramels...do you need my address? :)

Last year I gave everyone on my gifting list a break from cookies and made Christmas Crackers and they were a big hit!

I went with these:
Spicy Polenta Cheese Crackers (npt really that spicy-- toddler friendly even...)

Nut and Seed Biscotti

I doing a combo of caramels, peppermint patties and hot chocolate on a stick.

Still a fan of the canned and pickled goods myself--shelf-stable and all the work gets done ahead of time.

Plus, once I'm in that canning zone, man...I can go aaaallllll night.

Bad Mama Genny

Jams, jellies or butters that people wouldn't ordinarily buy have gone over well here. ie Peach/Plum/Ginger Jam, Hot Pepper Jelly, Corn Cob Jelly, Caramel Spice Pear Butter, Apple-Lemon Marmalade, etc.

Canned chutneys and relishes would be fun too!

I would like someone who loves me to give me homemade mustards and maybe some pretzel-ish things to dip in them. Or just mustard. And a spoon to eat it.

I'm making a homemade citrusy bitters for my friends and fam this year. And chocolate covered pretzels for work.