Ten days until Christmas!!! Here is a list of homemade gifts I have enjoyed making for family over the years. These don’t cost a ton and let your recipient know that you had them in mind for the duration of the project.
- Fleece pillows
No sewing required! I still have a little green one that I made when I was 4! I have made many since, some large and some small. Some square and some rectangular (long and thin are perfect for neck pillows)!
All you have to do is cut the same shape from two pieces of fleece (from the store or from an old bathrobe – sometimes I buy materials from thrift shops to give them new life!), cut a square out of each corner (in other words, remove the corner), and make fringe on each side. Then all you have to do is tie knots from the fringe and either put stuffing or a pillow form inside. Voila! - Crochet hat
For hats, I like to use size 4 yarn (worsted weight) with a J or K hook. I primarily learned how to crochet by watching YouTubers (Yolanda Soto Lopez was a favorite). This project is great for beginners! If you don’t want to learn how to crochet just yet, I would also recommend a round loom, though those hats are usually not as tight. They do work up quickly though! I made 68 in less than two months for people (family, friends, basketball team, etc, haha) when I got my first round loom. You can switch this up too. I’ve done pointy santa hats before and this year I’m doing giant slouchy hats. - Gift Basket
This idea is from Smister. Ever since our first month of dating, he has put together gift baskets for me on special occasions! And I know these aren’t super “home made,” but you do put them together yourself. The best part is that they are so customizable and are full of surprises. You can use mugs or tins instead of baskets, too. Some fun things to put inside these for Christmas (especially if your recipient is minimalistic and prefers consumables) are special hot chocolates, bath bombs, candy, Christmas cookies (little more work for this one), tea, or face masks. Depending on how well you know the person, a little book would be awesome too. The featured picture for this post is of the gift baskets we threw together for Smister’s extended family, haha, and no, that’s not wine, it’s sparkling cider! Aren’t they cute? - A meal
This one sounds a bit odd, doesn’t it? But you might be surprised at how many wives/mothers get burned out during the holidays, and would love to not worry about dinner on a night that they could spend wrapping gifts or playing board games with the family. I would recommend making sure that it’s a meal that could stay in the fridge for a couple days in case they had something planned already (so no tortilla bakes, those things get soggy and gross after a day, hahaha). It wouldn’t hurt to ask ahead of time about this one. - A bag of pot pourri mix
You’ll need: a couple cinnamon sticks, some cranberries, a tablespoon of rosemary, 7 cloves, and little bit of nutmeg. Throw those in a bag with an orange on the side (they will need just one slice of a fresh orange), and there you have it! Guaranteed to make their home smell nice if they simmer these in a pot full of water. Some folks don’t like candles and don’t have wax melters, so this is a nice consumable gift you can put together and know they can enjoy on Christmas day. - Hot rice pads
Some sewing required, but not a lot! Basically this is just a homemade pillow that you fill halfway with dried rice or corn. Very nice for relaxing muscles or to warm folks up. All they will need to do is toss it into the microwave for 2-3 minutes. I finally made one for myself two years ago, and I use it a lot! Went ahead and made one for my dad soon after. - Stationary set
Are you fairly artsy? This might be the project for you. If you have a friend that is far from home (at college or what have you), you could gift them a set of 5-10 cards. Just pull out some cardstock, stamps, glue, and see what you can do! Layers of paper are always nice. Stencils, too! I used to adore making stationary, I’ll have to pick that up again soon. - Letter opener
My brother used to make these a lot, simply from sticks and a pocket knife. Here’s a simple tutorial that only requires two tools, some sand paper, and a piece of wood! - Homemade wreath
Smister and I just got a real one as a wedding gift! We’ll be able to remove the decorations and put them on future wreaths too. This is a partially consumable gift and very festive! - Photo transfer block
I’ve done this for several family members on various occasions. Basically, it’s a piece of wood (small scrap piece of 2×4 or wood slice from a store like Hobby Lobby) that you transfer a picture to. You’ll need to print off a picture (with your printer, right on normal paper) then coat your piece of wood with photo transfer Mod Podge (I’ve used a different brand, but can’t remember the name) and place your picture face down onto the glue. Smooth out any bubbles, but not so hard that the glue gets squeezed out, you’ll need it to stay fairly thick. Leave it overnight, then the next day, use a wet sponge to dampen the paper, and gently roll bits of the paper away until you can see your picture clearly. Be gentle because if you rub too hard, the picture will get rubbed out itself. I liked spray painting the back of these blocks with chalkboard paint so it could be turned around for messages, too!
Hope these ideas gave you something more to work with! I cannot wait for Christmas! I have to start sewing myself a stocking because my last one is worn to pieces. Should be simple enough, but we’ll see if it gets done in time! Smister has a homemade leather stocking that my brother made for him one year, it’s pretty neat.
