There’s something extra special about receiving a handmade Christmas gift. Knowing that someone put in the time and effort to create something unique just for you is a feeling that can’t be replaced by any store-bought gift, no matter the price. With the holidays fast approaching, it’s the perfect time to start thinking about what gifts you’ll be giving this year. In this post, we’ll be covering why you might want to make handmade DIY Christmas gifts and 41 great ideas that anyone can make at home.
Why You Might Want to Make Handmade Christmas Gifts This Year
Sometimes it’s nice to get all your Christmas shopping done quickly in one day either online or in a store. But sometimes that might not be possible or just might feel so impersonal and cookie-cutter that you might want to consider adding in some (if not all) DIY Christmas gifts this year.
But who exactly are DIY Christmas gifts best suited for anyways?
For People Who Say They Don’t Want Anything
Consider those people in your life that say, “Oh it’s ok I don’t want anything this year.”
I know you have at least one in your family! We all do.
And in your heart, you of course still want to give them SOMETHING special, but you also want to respect their wishes. Honestly, in their minds, they probably know you’re going to get them something anyways.
A DIY handmade gift is the perfect solution for this type of person. It shows that you care enough to put in the time and effort to make something special just for them, without overwhelming them with something too extravagant.
RELATED: 10 Ways for Kids to Serve Others at Christmas
For Grandparents
Think about those holding those special roles of Grandparents.
They love homemade gifts from the grandkids! Or any DIY thing with little hand or footprints. I’m pretty confident ANY homemade gift from a grandkid or homemade Christmas card even toddlers can make will go up in their house and probably stay there forever.
It’s a way for them to feel connected and to see how their grandkids are growing and developing in size and in their creative skills. Handmade gifts can also have a nostalgic element to them, reminding grandparents of their own childhoods and past Christmases.
When You’re on a Tight Budget
Let’s face it, Christmas can be expensive. The costs can quickly add up between gifts, decorations, and food. That’s where handmade gifts come in handy (pun intended).
Some years the budget might be really really tight, and leaning into more handmade Christmas gifts in those years can really help relieve some financial strain from the holiday.
Handmade Christmas gifts allow you to give meaningful gifts without breaking the bank. Plus, when you make something yourself, you have more control over the cost of materials.
And despite what you might be thinking, handmade Christmas gifts don’t have to be cheap looking. You’ll be amazed at the quality of these DIY Christmas gifts that I’ve found for you! Check out these free gifts you can give your kids this Christmas too.
RELATED: 10 Frugal Christmas Ideas to Try This Year
When You Want to Give Something Unique
Finally, DIY handmade Christmas gifts are a great idea when you want to give something truly unique. There are a few ways to get unique gifts. First by custom order, second by shopping at street fairs or Farmer’s Markets from small local vendors, or by making them yourself.
While supporting small businesses is awesome, it can also be very expensive. Plus handmade gifts allow you to customize your gift to fit the recipient’s personality and preferences. You can create something that’s one-of-a-kind and tailored perfectly to their interests and tastes.
RELATED: Special Things to do on Christmas Day That You Didn’t Think of
The 41 Best Handmade DIY Christmas Gifts
Hot Stuff Oven Mitt Gift Idea
Looking for a quick and easy handmade gift idea? This Oven Mitt Gift is such a cute, simple, and inexpensive gift idea because everything can be found at the dollar store! It’s a great gift to share with co-workers, friends, or family. You even get a FREE SVG cut file to custom-make this gift to be even more spectacular!
Popcorn Gift Basket
This DIY gift idea is so cute and looks really nice! It’s one of those gifts that keeps on giving. Everyone loves eating popcorn but that doesn’t always mean that they have everything on hand.
Giving the gift of this DIY Popcorn Gift Basket makes it super simple to enjoy a snuggly movie night at home! Plus, it’s a gift that an entire family can enjoy as well.
Flavored Finishing Salts
Salt improves the flavor of any dish and is a secret of all pro chefs. Try these flavors, or create new ones you’re inspired to make. These colorful DIY finishing salts make a great (inexpensive) gourmet food gift this holiday!
Christmas Cowboy Cookies in a Jar
This classic DIY gift idea is pretty, delicious, and unique. No treats scream Christmas more than cookies, so this Christmas Cowboy Cookies in a Jar makes the perfect gift for the holiday. It is easy to make even with the help of little hands.
Peppermint Bath Salts Gift in a Jar
Homemade peppermint bath salts make a wonderful Christmas gift idea! Easy to make and the presentation is so pretty, your friends and family will love them.
Easy DIY Gnome Ornaments
These gnome Christmas ornaments are so easy to make it takes on 5 minutes and look how cute they are! You can make this your main gift or tie it on top of a bigger DIY Christmas present too.
Hot Cocoa in a Jar Christmas Gift
No matter how you look at it, this hot cocoa mix recipe in cute jars is the perfect simple gift during the cold winter months. Who doesn’t like to warm up with a nice warm cup of cocoa?
Homemade Rose Water Gift
Rose water is so amazing for your skin and not too difficult to make for yourself at home. But why not make DIY rose water to give away as a gift? Instead of those toxin-loaded gift bath gift sets you can buy at the store, try making your own with some rose water and maybe the peppermint sugar scrub featured above.
Cinnamon Brown Sugar Lip Scrub
The winter cold can really do a number on your lips. One great way to self-care for your lips is by using a tasty Sugar Lip Scrub on them regularly. Give your family, friends, or coworkers this sweet good-for-you treat this year.
Handmade Funfetti Bath Bomb Cubes
Bath bombs can be pricey if you go for the great-smelling all-natural kind. But did you know you can make some pretty awesome bath bombs at home that also make great gifts? Try your hand at these Funfetti bath bomb cubes.
Salt Dough Ornaments
Salt dough ornaments are super easy to make and will last for many years to come. Salt dough is made with salt, flour, and water.
This easy kids’ craft project is especially popular for the holidays for salt dough ornaments and hand prints. It’s a wonderful family activity and Christmas craft around the holidays for beautiful, handmade ornaments that will last for decades!
DIY Oil Candle Gift
This mason jar oil lamp is created with beautiful pine cones, evergreens, and cinnamon sticks, combined with essential oils. It makes a lovely gift for the holidaysand you can easily make several at one time.
How to Make a Reading Pillow
Learn exactly how to sew a reading pillow for this Christmas. It’s a really handy gift idea that is easy to customize by using fabric that is perfectly suited to your child.
How To Make A Kitchen Boa Towel Scarf For Beginners
Do you normally throw a kitchen towel over your shoulder while cooking a meal for easy access? Well, a DIY kitchen boa will take the place of that boring old towel with a cute and stylish flare. They aren’t too difficult to make even if you aren’t a seamstress.
DIY Rollable Signs
This DIY rollable sign is easy to make and comes with free templates for the verbiage on the sign too. Make your signs say whatever fits the recipient best for a customized gift they can use all year or for certain holidays depending on what you choose to write.
DIY Beeswax Candles with Essential Oils
Making your own candles is actually a fairly easy DIY. It sounds intimidating, but it’s not that hard. It’s not as difficult as it sounds to make a candle at home! All you need is some beeswax (soy wax will also work), organic essential oils for your candle scent, a jar, and a wick.
Easy Peasy Handmade Soaps
Making soap with essential oils is a great way to save money, have fun, and get creative. It also has many benefits such as being natural, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly. This easy Handmade Soap Recipe will give you homemade soap in a few hours with only a few minutes of actual hands-on time.
Christmas Stovetop Potpourri
This Christmas stovetop potpourri gift is a perfect DIY Christmas gift to give during the holidays! The simmering spices will fill the house with Christmas scents and spirit and make every day during the season feel just like Christmas day.
3 DIY Christmas Earring Gift Ideas
Three different DIY earring ideas that you can make as Christmas gifts. I just love handmade earrings because they are always unique. Unique earrings are a statement piece that will draw compliments and attention for the receiver anywhere they wear them.
Homemade Peppermint Lip Balm (free printable labels)
DIY Homemade Peppermint Lip Balm is fun to make, useful, and smells great! If you live where there is cold, harsh winter weather, your friends, family, or co-workers would be super happy to receive this refreshing tingly gift.
DIY Glitter Christmas Candles
Glitter can be wonderful and horrible all that the same time when crafting. But if there is one time of year that glitter should make a strong appearance it’s Christmas! Between flickering candles and the glow of Christmas lights, glittery decor sparkles and makes everything look magical. Make your friends and family these adorable glitter Christmas candles for the holiday this year.
Homemade Vanilla Sugar
This super simple Homemade Vanilla Sugar combines the sweet, rich, warm flavor of vanilla beans with granulated sugar for the ultimate flavor enhancer!
Have you ever used flavored sugars before? It’s a sweet way to add some extra zest to your baking. (See what I did there?) Encourage your recipients of this gift to add it to baked goods, flavor your tea, use it to rim co*cktail glasses, and more!
Homemade Essential Oil Lotion with Aloe Recipe
Making your own aloe essential oil lotion may sound intimidating. In reality, it is a fun and quite easy process with simple ingredients. Once you have the ingredients on hand, the creation of homemade natural products is limitless!
How to Make a Wood Mosaic Coaster (A High-End Popsicle Stick Craft)
This is a simple craft made with popsicle sticks that looks super high-end. I found all sorts of handmade coaster ideas when putting together this post, but nothing that looked as classy as this one. Try your hand at making DIY coasters to gift this Christmas.
Handmade Footed Wood Tray
This DIY footed wood tray looks so classy it’s something you could easily find in your local home decor store. But it’s actually homemade, with scraps, and not too hard. I think I need someone to make me this this year… any takers?
DIY Etched Glass Vases with a Vintage French Feel
Etched glass vases are gorgeous and timeless, they can also prove to be the perfect gift for someone special! It’s surprisingly easy to learn how to etch glass to make a very unique etched glass vase gift this Christmas.
DIY Agate Coasters with Gilded Edges
Here is one more coaster idea that looks very nice that you can easily make at home. I’ve actually seen these quite a few times on Amazon but you can actually make your own “gilded” agate coasters as well. Think how impressive this will be when someone unwraps them.
We “Whisk” You a Merry “Kiss-Mas” Gift + Printable Tags
This is a perfect DIY gift idea for neighbors or coworkers, just a cute little pun with something sweet to let people know that you’re thinking of them for the holidays. I think I might try making some this year instead of making a ton of Christmas cookies and chocolate bark to gift away!
Vintage Tin Christmas Décor Gift
There’s just something about combining homemade gifts and vintage items together. Learn how to create these adorable vintage Christmas spice tins. They would definitely be a perfect gift for that vintage lover in your life!
DIY Heated Neck Wrap with Buckwheat & Lavender
Learn how to make a DIY Heated Neck Wrap filled with buckwheat and lavender. Not only is this neck wrap microwaveable, but it can also be kept in the freezer for a cold neck or shoulder wrap as necessary. The addition of lavender makes this DIY heat pack extra relaxing.
Flax Seed Heating Bag
This is very similar to the gift above but it is filled with something different. I’ve had different heating bags with things in them like rice and corn and let me tell you, they are not all alike!
Some stay hot longer, some get hotter initially, etc. It’s not that one type is good or bad, but it can be nice to have multiple options on hand for different types of pain. So consider trying a flax seed heating pack as well!
Super Easy Knitted Dishcloth (with Free Pattern)
Are you into knitting, or have you ever wanted to try it? Then try making these special textured knitted dishcloths (with free pattern) for gifts this Christmas.
3 Airdry Clay Gifts Kids Can Make
How about a 3-in-1? This post has three air-dry-clay gift ideas that kids can make themselves. I’m thinking of the grandparents with these cute ideas which feature a clay candle holder, a clay pot, and clay ornaments.
DIY Christmas Gifts for Kids
DIY Car Play Table
You can create this car play table on almost any table. Just make sure the surface is clean and dry. This particular table was made by drilling four 2 x 4 legs into a piece of plywood. You can use scrap wood, extra wood, an old table, or a coffee table – the possibilities are endless.
Toy Food Cakes for Play Kitchen
A toy kitchen is one of those standard toys that will last for years of imaginative play. But sometimes the plastic food that comes with the kitchen is rather dull and boring and the unique pieces are pretty pricey. Making bright colorful toy food for a play kitchen is easy, and fun, to do.
DIY Beach Dollhouse
Dollhouses can be pretty simple to make and this one is made from materials that will last. Make a unique gift with this Beach Dollhouse that your little one can play with their dolls or even toy animals.
Layered Dinosaur Soaps
You can make these kid-friendly dinosaur soaps that are soaps with a toy inside! You could actually use any toy your kids are into… cats, horses, any figurine will work. I also made bath bombs for my niece one year with little plastic toys in them (using the same idea)… they were a hit!
Squeezable Village Toys
You can sew this soft village playset for your kids of any age. Even a baby would have fun with this colorful unique handmade toy with standing pillow-type toys.
How To Make Christmas Tree Crayons
You can choose to surprise your kids with these Christmas tree crayons in their stockings or have your kids help you make them for the other kids in your lives. Either way, it’s a very fun and special DIY idea and the crayons color in rainbows!
It’s also a GREAT way to use up those left over crayon bits that other wise get stuck in the couch or thrown away!
Wrapping up the 41 Best Handmade DIY Christmas Gifts
There are so many reasons why DIY handmade Christmas gifts are a great idea!
They’re perfect for people who say they don’t want anything, grandparents, those on a tight budget, and anyone looking to give a truly unique gift.
So, instead of stressing over what to buy this holiday season, why not consider making some of the items from this list?
Whether you are crafty or not, want to make something for your family or neighbors, or want your kids to create the gifts or not, I’m pretty sure you will have found the perfect idea on this list.
Which was your favorite? Let me know in the comments below!
