If you’re looking to do something fun and creative that’ll help you save some money, why not consider making your own Christmas gifts this year?
A handmade gift carries a personal touch, and there’s no doubt that the person receiving it will feel very loved when they see that you’ve put time and effort into creating something. Plus, that gift will be unique, as it’s something that they can’t find anywhere else.
Now’s the perfect time to start thinking about DIY gifts, as Christmas is near enough to feel the holiday spirit, but far away enough that there’s plenty of time left to get crafting. From candles and snow globes to gingerbread fudge, here are 18 homemade gift ideas that you can make for your loved ones this Christmas.
1. Stuffed toys
Stuffed toys can be a wonderful gift for children and grandchildren (or possibly even adults!) at Christmas.
Whether it’s used as a nighttime companion, an ornament, or as a cuddle buddy on a bad day, a soft toy is a sure way to bring a little joy to someone’s day. You can knit, crochet, or stitch them – and they can be any size, colour, or character that you choose!
If you’re completely new to needle crafts, but you’re keen to make a stuffed toy, then crocheting is a good place to start. You only need one hook, as opposed to two needles (as with knitting), and the process is generally much quicker.
Hobbycraft has a helpful guide that’ll show you how to get started with crochet. Then, for some stuffed toy inspiration, why not have a look at the video below? It’ll show you how to make cute crochet turtles.
2. Gingerbread fudge
For someone with a sweet tooth, fudge is a delicious gift that they won’t be able to resist. If you want to add a festive twist to this sweet treat, why not make it taste like gingerbread?
This recipe from Delish only uses five ingredients – sweetened condensed milk, white chocolate, and spices – and takes about one hour and 10 minutes to make.
Alternatively, you could try this rum and raisin fudge recipe from ThermoBliss, or this delicious cookies and cream white chocolate fudge recipe from Carnation.
Why not taste test one (or all!) of these recipes yourself first and let us know what you think in the comments below?
3. Infused olive oil
Infused olive oils are a practical everyday gift that a cooking enthusiast will love as it’ll give their cooking that extra punch of flavour.
You can infuse olive oil with chilli, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon, garlic, oregano, rosemary, or something else entirely – it really depends on the tastes of your giftee!
Infusing oil is really straightforward and can be done in just a few simple steps. Have a watch of the video below to see how it’s done. To store your infused oil, you’ll need some empty glass bottles (which will need to be sterilised – you can find out how to do this here).
You could either save empty bottles that once stored things like alcohol or vinegar, or you could pick up some glass bottles on Amazon. If you want to add a special touch to your oil bottle, consider adding a bow around the neck before giving them to your giftee!
4. Snow globe
Snow globes can make beautiful gifts and are surprisingly quick, easy, and inexpensive to make. It’s up to you to decide what you want to feature in your glass bubble – you might want to stick with something Christmassy like a reindeer or a Christmas tree, and fill your globe with white beads to look like snow.
Or, if you’d like to make a gift that someone can enjoy year-round, you could include something like an animal, a cartoon character, or a famous landmark, and fill your globe with glitter or multi-coloured beads.
Hobbycraft has a useful guide that’ll talk you through the process of how to make a snow globe – and you can also pick up your materials (such as a globe, white beads, and your chosen centrepiece) from there too. Alternatively, you could buy these on Amazon. If you want to make use of what you have at home and save some cash, consider using an empty jar.
5. Macrame plant holder
Macrame plant holders are becoming a popular way to hang houseplants.
Simple yet stylish, these plant holders are quick and easy to make and will be appreciated by plant lovers who are running out of windowsill space for their plants, or who like finding interesting new ways to display them.
To find out how to start crafting your own macrame plant holder, watch the video below. All you need to get started is some cotton cord and a brass ring, which you can pick up for a few pounds on Amazon.
6. Soap
Soap is one of those things that we all need and tend to appreciate, but that we usually don’t consider making ourselves. However, making your own soap can give you greater control over what goes into it – and designing it can be a lot of fun!
There are a few different ways to make soap, but the easiest is to use the ‘melt and pour’ method. Have a watch of the video below to see how it’s done – or follow this guide.
You can get everything you need to make soap from Amazon or Hobbycraft, including the soap base, moulds and dyes. Just be sure to take care when melting and pouring your soap base, as it gets extremely hot.
7. Jam, chutney, or marmalade
Jams, chutneys, and marmalades are traditional Christmas gifts and make a great accompaniment to things like meat, cheese, and bread – which many of us eat lots of over the holiday period.
If you want to make your loved one a really unique gift, you could try making them a jam, chutney, or marmalade that has an unusual flavour – one that perhaps they wouldn’t typically find in the shops. Why not try grapefruit marmalade, rhubarb and date chutney, or pear and ginger preserve?
To save money, it’s worth keeping hold of empty condiment jars throughout the year so that you can use them to store your homemade jam, chutney, or marmalade. Great British Chefs has a useful guide which will show you how to sterilise them first.
8. Cosy blanket
Blankets are great gifts for anyone who enjoys getting cosy in the winter – or for anyone that appreciates having a nice blanket or throw draped over their sofa. If a blanket is particularly intricate (for example, a patchwork quilt), some people might also choose to use them as wall art.
You can have a go at making a patchwork quilt by following this tutorial from Love Crafts – or try this YouTube video for beginners, which will show you how to crochet a soft blanket in three hours.
If you fancy trying something a bit different, you could also try hand knitting a blanket, which requires no needles at all. You just need your hands, some jumbo yarn, and a few hours. Have a watch of the video below to see how it’s done!
9. Bath bombs
If you know someone that loves to treat themselves to a nice hot bath after a long day, you could consider making them some bath bombs. Bath bombs are a bit of a novelty because they’re a step up from the essentials that we use day to day, like soap and shower gel.
Not only is it entertaining to watch them fizzing away once they’ve been dropped in the water, but they usually smell great and can add things like essential oils, moisturisers, and colourants to the water.
If you’ve ever been to a Lush shop, then you’ll know just how creative and unusual bath bombs can get. They can come in pretty much any colour, take various shapes and sizes, have a variety of smells, and contain things like essential oils, rose petals, and lemon zest!
This bath bomb recipe from BBC Good Food will show you how to get started – and you should be able to get most of the ingredients you need from your local supermarket. For essential oils, it’s worth having a look on Amazon where they have a wide range at variable prices.
10. Personalised doormat
Perhaps you know someone who has recently moved into a new home or appreciates household gifts with a difference. If so, you could consider giving them their very own personalised doormat.
All you need to get started is a plain coir doormat, which you can get from Amazon. You’ll also need some fabric spray paint, some scissors, and a large piece of cardboard.
Then it’s as simple as drawing your design on the card, cutting the design out to create a stencil, placing your stencil over your mat, and applying spray paint. You can get as creative as you like with your design – you could have lettering, pawprints, hearts, flowers, or anything else you can think of. You could also use a range of different colours.
DIY blogger, Kezzabeth, has a full tutorial of the process, which you can find here.
11. Gourmet marshmallows
These gourmet marshmallows are the ultimate luxurious treat and can offer a grown-up twist on what’s often a childhood favourite. These marshmallows are soft, light, and packed with flavour – and the best part is they’re fun to make yourself at home.
This gourmet marshmallow recipe from Country Living can act as a great guide – but you can also get creative with a range of different flavours, such as chocolate, coffee, raspberry, and lavender!
12. Flavoured gin
For an adventurous gin-lover, flavoured gin can make a wonderful Christmas gift!
While it’s not hard to get hold of flavoured gins in supermarkets, these can often be full of artificial flavours and are sometimes overly sweet. By making your own, you can create a gin with a more natural, authentic flavour – and pretty much any ingredient will leech into gin if you give it long enough.
Rhubarb, sloe, strawberry, raspberry, cucumber, and peach are popular options. Sainsbury’s Magazine also has a gingerbread gin recipe which will be perfect for Christmas.
Most gin recipes only consist of three ingredients: a bottle of standard gin, the ingredient you want to flavour it with, and some sugar. Often, it’s as simple as mixing the three together, storing them in a sterilised bottle somewhere cool, and leaving it to steep for about two weeks.
13. Candles
Candles are a lovely gift for any occasion, but particularly during the winter months when people are cosying up in the evenings. They’re great for adding a relaxing ambience to a bath, dinner time, or to a night in front of the TV.
You can add different colours and scents to your candles, and you can make them in different shapes, sizes, and styles. Hobbycraft has a helpful guide that explains what equipment you’ll need – for example, wicks, moulds, and wax flakes. Alternatively, you can follow the video tutorial below.
Tip: You might have things you can already use as moulds at home, such as china teacups that you no longer use, jars, or glass containers from previous candles you’ve had.
14. Mosaic coasters
Coasters are a practical everyday gift that nearly everyone can appreciate, whether they drink coffee, water, wine, or tea!
These mosaic coasters are a fun way to learn and develop your mosaic skills while creating something unique for someone special.
All you need to get started are some MDF circles or squares, glass mosaic pieces, grout, and PVA glue. The video below will show you what to do next…
15. Blondies
Blondies are dense, chewy treats that are very similar to brownies, but without the cocoa. Instead, they’re usually flavoured with ingredients like vanilla, caramel, white chocolate, or peanut butter. There are also red velvet and bakewell blondie recipes!
If you know someone who would love an indulgent gooey treat this Christmas, why not have a go at this white chocolate and caramel blondie recipe from Jane’s Patisserie, or this butterscotch one from Sainsbury’s Magazine?
16. Stovetop potpourri
If you’d like to gift someone the warm and inviting scent of Christmas, you could make up some little bags of stovetop potpourri for them to use at home.
A stovetop potpourri gift is a selection of Christmassy fruit, herbs, and spices that the recipient can simmer in a saucepan or slow cooker to fill their home with festive smells.
It’s really simple to put together – you’ll just need to put fruit like cranberry, orange, and lemon, along with some herbs and spices like rosemary and cinnamon, into a small gift bag. You can then attach a label to it with instructions for how to use it. These are really inexpensive gifts, but they’re incredibly thoughtful and are sure to make a loved one smile!
One Lovely Life has a helpful guide that’ll show you how to make stovetop potpourri gifts and give you the option to print free gift tags.
17. Flavoured salt
Flavoured salt is a fun and practical gift for any foodie.
You can flavour salt with curry powder, herbs, chilli, ginger, garlic, or something else entirely – and the process is as easy as grinding salts and ingredients together.
Once you’ve flavoured your salt, you can store it in little labelled pots. Many people choose to gift people a selection of five or six different salt flavours.
This guide from Country Living will show you how to make a selection of different salts – let us know what some of your favourites are in the comments below!
18. Wine bottle hats, scarves and cosies
If you’d normally gift someone a bottle of wine, but would like to add a personal touch, you could consider adding a mini hat and scarf to each bottle.
If you want to learn how to crochet these mini accessories, there’s a useful YouTube tutorial that’ll explain how. Part one will show you how to knit the scarf and part two will show you how to knit the hat and attached pom pom. Alternatively, you could consider making a larger cosy by repurposing an old jumper sleeve.
Whichever option you decide to go for, these homemade winter warmers are sure to bring festive cheer this Christmas!
Final thoughts...
From tasty treats like festive fudge and Christmas-inspired blondies to thoughtful items like homemade coasters and candles, we hope there’s something on this list that your friends and family will love – and that you’ll enjoy making!
For more craft ideas and inspiration, why not check out the learning section of our website? Here, you’ll find introductory guides to creative skills like calligraphy and carpentry, as well as inspirational content like our article; 10 interesting craft ideas to try at home.
And for more Christmas-related content, have a read of our articles; 12 Christmas recipe ideas to bring the festive cheer to your kitchen and 12 tips for a low-cost Christmas.
Do you have any additional homemade Christmas gift ideas that you’d like to share? Or perhaps you’re planning to make some of the gifts above? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.