Homemade Christmas Gifts: Easy Ideas That Feel Thoughtful
There's something about a present someone has made themselves. It carries the hours that went into it, and it tends to be kept, used up slowly or remembered long after the shop-bought things have been forgotten.
Homemade Christmas gifts needn't be complicated or time-consuming. These are our favourite homemade Christmas gift ideas that are realistic to make at the kitchen table, with a short how-to for each, and a few thoughts on finishing them beautifully.
Homemade Christmas Gifts From the Kitchen
Biscuits in a tin. Shortbread, gingerbread or spiced biscuits are easy to make in a batch and keep well. A simple shortbread uses one part sugar, two parts butter and three parts plain flour by weight: rub together, press into a tin, prick with a fork and bake low and slow until pale golden. Pack them in a tin or jar lined with greaseproof paper and tie the lid with ribbon.
Infused olive oil. Fill a clean glass bottle with good olive oil and add dried flavourings such as chilli, rosemary, thyme or strips of dried citrus peel, then seal and leave for a week or so to infuse. Dried ingredients keep best; if you use fresh garlic or herbs, keep the oil in the fridge and tell the recipient to use it within a few days. Label the bottle with what's inside and how to use it.
Jam, chutney or marmalade. A small batch of jam or a spiced Christmas chutney, made in the autumn and potted into sterilised jars, is one of the most welcome homemade gifts there is. Cover the lid with a circle of fabric or paper, tie it with string or ribbon and add a handwritten label with the date.
A hot chocolate kit. Layer good cocoa powder and sugar (or drinking chocolate) in a jar with mini marshmallows and chocolate shavings. Tie a ribbon around the neck and add a small card with the instructions: stir three or four spoonfuls into hot milk and enjoy.
Homemade Gifts for Pampering
Bath salts. Mix Epsom salts with a little coarse sea salt, add a few drops of essential oil such as lavender or eucalyptus, and stir through a handful of dried petals. Spoon into a jar with a ribbon and a label. They take minutes to make and look lovely in a row of matching jars.
Bath bombs. A little more involved, but fun to make. You'll need bicarbonate of soda, citric acid, a little oil, essential oils and a mould - an ice cube tray works well for small ones. Press the mixture firmly into the mould and leave to dry completely before wrapping.
Scented candles. Melt soy wax gently, fix a wick to the base of a clean jar with a dab of glue, stir in a fragrance oil suitable for candles, such as orange, cinnamon or clove, and pour. Leave to set fully before trimming the wick. A little dried orange or a sprig of rosemary tied around the jar finishes it nicely. If you'd rather give a ready-made candle, browse our candles.
Homemade Gifts on Paper
A memory book or scrapbook. Gather photographs, tickets, notes and small keepsakes from moments you've shared, and arrange them in a scrapbook with captions and short memories. Decorate the pages with washi tape and stickers. Our scrap books and photo albums make a good starting point.
A letter. One of the simplest and most treasured homemade Christmas gifts is a proper letter: what someone means to you, a favourite memory, the things you've never quite said out loud. Write it by hand on good paper and seal it in an envelope. Our letter writing sets and correspondence collection are made for it.
A family recipe book. Collect favourite family recipes, ask relatives to add theirs, and write them out in a notebook with notes about who made each dish and when. It becomes more precious every year it's used.
Pressed-flower cards. Press small flowers and leaves between sheets of paper inside a heavy book for two to three weeks, then arrange and glue them onto plain card to make a set of notecards or a single Christmas card.
Homemade vouchers. A small booklet of promises costs nothing and is often the gift people love most: a home-cooked dinner, an afternoon of babysitting, a walk and lunch together, a day of help in the garden. Write each one on a separate card, tie them together with ribbon and add a note.
Finishing Your Homemade Gifts
Wrap it well. A homemade gift deserves the same care as anything bought. Jars and bottles look lovely wrapped in paper and gathered at the neck; see our guides to how to wrap a bottle as a gift and how to wrap a cylinder or round gift, and browse our Christmas gift wrapping.
Add ribbon. A length of cotton ribbon tied around a jar lid or bottle neck is the quickest way to make something homemade look special.
Label everything. A neat handwritten label with what it is, when it was made and how to use or store it is both practical and charming. Our Christmas sticker sheets are useful for sealing and decorating jars and parcels.
Include a card. A few lines about why you made it for them turns a jar of jam into something much more personal.
To Finish Your Homemade Gifts
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the easiest homemade Christmas gifts to make?
Bath salts, a hot chocolate kit in a jar, infused oil with dried flavourings and a batch of shortbread are all quick, need very little equipment and can be made in quantity.
When should I start making homemade Christmas gifts?
Jams, chutneys and infused oils benefit from being made a few weeks ahead, and pressed flowers need two to three weeks to dry. Biscuits are best made in the last week or so before you give them.
How do I make homemade gifts look less homemade?
Use matching jars or bottles, add neat handwritten labels, and finish each one with good paper, a length of ribbon and a card. Consistency across a batch makes them look considered.
What homemade gifts can I post?
Paper gifts travel best: a letter, a memory book, pressed-flower cards or a booklet of homemade vouchers. Biscuits post well in a sturdy tin; avoid sending liquids in glass.
Are homemade gifts thoughtful enough for Christmas?
Very often they're the most thoughtful of all. A letter or a book of memories can mean more than anything bought, because it couldn't have come from anyone else.
The Most Important Thing
A homemade Christmas gift doesn't need to be perfect. What matters is that you thought about the person while you made it. Choose one idea you'll enjoy making, finish it with care, and add a few handwritten words to say why.
Finish your homemade gifts with our Christmas gift wrapping, ribbons and gift wrapping accessories, or write a letter with our correspondence collection.