Am I the only or do you find gift giving overwhelming, too? My brain feels fried whenever I go about planning out all the Christmas gifts we need to choose, then buy, then wrap, and then finally give hoping that the recipient likes it. It’s stressful!
Each year, I determine to make it less stressful and more enjoyable. One of the ways that has helped me enjoy giving gifts is by tapping into my creative abilities and making gifts to give to my loved ones.
Not only is it fun to hand make Christmas gifts but it’s easy on the budget if you buy all the ingredients and then make multiple gifts out of it all.
It’s also a lovely old fashioned thing to do! There didn’t used to be the options or availability of all the stuff we have access to. Don’t get me wrong though! I am grateful we can find things we want and send links of our ideas for other people to buy them for us, but….it’s easy to not enjoy the Christmas season because we are frazzled from all the options that we have to choose from for ourselves and others. Too much is not a good thing and that is what I find to be characteristic of our modern times. There is simply too much!
To simplify, Christmas shopping this year, I decided to order raw materials and make the gifts. It was absolutely refreshing to make them, too!
But first I had to look around and see what I wanted to make. All things I considered and looked into making are listed below. They each have several options that include tutorials with them.
I hope you find it refreshing to peruse this list of handmade Christmas gift ideas and enjoy making your own handmade Christmas gifts this year!
Rolled Beeswax Candles
What would Christmas be like without the ambience of candles?! One simple, but beautiful candle gift idea is beeswax candles. You can make your own candles with the melt and pour method using my recipe here, but if you want get kids involved, I recommend rolled beeswax candles.
There’s no hot wax involved. You simply roll beeswax sheets around a wick and your done!
Here’s a tutorial for you here!
Here’s the supplies you’ll need:
- Beeswax Sheets
- Wicks
Sugar Scrubs
This is a new idea to me, but I love it! I want to make some of these for myself now so I’m sure they would make great gifts!
Soap
One of the best gifts I was ever given was some lovely shea butter soap for my birthday when I was a teenager. Ever since then I have been obsessed with soap. It made showering so luxurious! It’s funny how it’s the little things that count.
Here are a few soap recipes that will make warm showers even more lovely during the months following Christmas:
Body Butter
Smooth and ever so nourishing, body butter is one of my new favorite moisturizers! It’s simple to make, too. Just a few ingredients melted together and then whipped like whipped cream!
Haven’t you ever wanted to lather your skin with whipped cream, literally?!
Embroidery Hoop Ornaments
This is such a neat little ornament gift! I love the old fashioned homemaking flair that embroidery hoop ornaments give!
There fun to make, too! Here are a few ideas I found while looking around:
Dishcloth
Whether you like to crochet, knit, or sew, here are some easy ways to make dishcloths that you can gift!
Lotion Bar
Everyone needs lotion during the winter so homemade lotion bars are a practical yet luxurious gift.
Bath Salts
Know someone who loves a good soak? Bath salts are an easy inexpensive gift that can help your loved ones relax and enjoy a lovely scented bath!
Mason Jar Cookie Mix
Maybe you would love to bake a big batch of cookies and gift them but don’t have the time. This is where Cookie mixes in a jar come to the rescue.
It’s like gifting a homemade cookie box mix all ready to be baked with the addition of just a few ingredients.
And if you know someone who likes cake better, a homemade cake mix would be delightful, too!
Mason Jar Hot Cocoa Mix
What would winter be like without hot cocoa and what better way to enjoy it than to have it homemade all ready for you to mix into some hot water and enjoy?! Everything is better homemade and if you have never tried homemade stovetop hot cocoa, friend, you’re missing out! It takes hot cocoa to a whole other level especially if you use organic cocoa and other clean ingredients.
This gift idea will definitely be a hit!
Stovetop Potpourri
Not only is this a wonderful homemade Christmas idea, but the post itself was a delightful read!
Seasoned Salts
Know someone who likes to cook or wants to get into cooking? Maybe it’s a new homemaker who is wants to learn how to cook from scratch.
Honestly, and homemaker would love this gift! It makes cooking a little more adventurous and fun when there is something new to try.
Spice Mixes
Mixing up and gifting your own spice mixes is fun, and it also lets you sneak in your own personal spice secrets for others to try.
Here are some ideas:
Pot Holders
Every homemaker needs pot holders and some of us should probably get new ones long before we ever do. We use them a lot for baking, cooking, and protecting the table from hot pans. It’s not long before they look grimy even after a good wash and it’s always nice to have something new and nice looking to work with.
If you’re handy with a sewing machine, here are a few cute potholder tutorials to peruse:
Aprons
I have a thing for ruffled aprons. One of my first sewing projects when I learned to see was making a ruffled apron and it was so much fun to pick out the mix-matched fabric (with a little lace, of course!). It was made baking even more fun!
This would be a perfect gift idea for any homemaker, but also for any girls in your family who are learning to bake or love being little housekeepers!
Cloth Napkins
This is a super easy gift idea even if you have just learned how to sew! It’s super simple and not time consuming at all. All you need to know is how to hem the edges.
These make great old fashioned gift ideas because cloth napkins are so charming and call us all back to family dinners round the table!
Not to mention but it’s fun picking fabric!
Jar Covers
Have any sourdough lovers (or potential ones) on your Christmas gift list? Jar covers would be a fantastic gift idea!
Final Thoughts!
Did you find the inspiration you needed to make some lovely handmade Christmas Gifts? I sure did! I probably had a little too much fun perusing and gathering all these ideas together, but I hope it helps you out.
And if you can’t decide on which you want to do, you don’t have to just choose one idea. You could always make several of these ideas and give cute little gift baskets!
