One of the most complicated Christmas presents I made was gumball dispensers. The idea came from a Workbench magazine article, but the design was my own. The frame was made from scrap cherry and the sides from book matched 3/16" walnut. The finish was Tung oil. Gum balls were added by swinging a little door aside in the upper part of the front, where they sat in an angled hopper. When a plunger was pressed on the top rear, a gate permitted one to fall below the hopper's floor level, where they rolled out along an inclined ramp.
While complicated, they were surprisingly quick to make in quantity. I made 2 dozen easily in just a few days.