When you think of Santa, you probably wish you were him. You wish you could go down chimneys, coal rubbing off your cheeks as you slide into possibly lit fireplaces to tuck presents under Christmas trees. Okay, some of that might not be on your all-time to-do list. But you still need to be the Kriss Kringle of your family and friends, meaning you must do some gift planning.
Depending on your personality — and that of your budget — you might not be interested in festive shopping. And yet, you can still nail the present giving because you can make Christmas DIY gifts for ANYONE. Karens, Kens, or the average Joes — if the effort’s there, handmade memorabilia is forever. So, let’s wrap up the introduction and get down to business (or all 15 of them).
1. Stack Them Chocolate Treats Up!
The gift: Some folks become vacuum-cleaner-coded when trying to bring the last drop gliding around the mug’s bottom to their lips, denying they’ve finished the hot cocoa. This jar of sweetness is for them. We promise their excessive slurping will haunt you for life, so good luck!
How to make it: Just get a decent-looking jar and start layering cocoa, milk powder, and a bunch of candy. If you want to unleash your creativity while doing that, go on. Once the container is filled huge, to the rim, decorate it with a burlap ribbon, artificial holly, and a cute gift card.
2. You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
The gift: These mean green cookies can give your grumpy mate just enough energy to survive the holidays. Feed them some sugar this festive season, and power their eye-rolling 100%! December 25th is the right day to let holiday antiheroes shine.
How to make it: Whisk together a teaspoon of kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, a teaspoon of baking soda, and 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour. Then, beat 1 ½ cup of granulated sugar and one cup of butter with an electric mixer until all is fluffy and light.
Continue by beating in two large eggs, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, a teaspoon of almond extract, the flour mixture from earlier, and two or three drops of green food coloring. Once done, scoop bits of the dough with a cookie scoop and roll them in green sanding sugar.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes at 176.6°C (350 °F) on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Decorate the cookies with heart sprinkles when baked. Making these will take some time, but with creative Christmas gifts, it’s all or nothing.
3. Keep the Outdoors Toasty for a Loved One
The gift: Il fait froid in the hills of chills. But with this fire starter kit, you can send your friend to the woods butt-naked. It contains all the ingredients to transform the fierce moments of camping into ones of glamping. The stars are brighter, and nature feels more welcoming when one’s toes aren’t freezing.
How to make it: Clean a small jelly jar and put a pinecone at the bottom. Then follows the moss, topped with a bundle of 10 twine-tied matches and a strike strip. To finish the container’s look, transfer-tape a campfire image made of Cricut vinyl on it.
4. Cross-Stitch the Essence of Festively-Arranged Greenery
The gift: Some handmade Christmas gifts can bend the fabric of time, transporting us to the day of Xmas trees and family gatherings. Such is the case of this cross-stitched wreath. It’s easy to make for the nimble-fingered embroiderers who see patterns of the holiday spirit everywhere.
How to make it: Buy a 16-count Aida cloth and embroidery floss in Forest Green, Red, Peacock Blue, and Metallic Gold. Then, use the image below to complete the picture! Two strands of thread should be enough to do that. The final product will complement the sweetest spot at your friend’s home, whether you leave the embroidery hoop on or remove it.
5. Let a Piece of Cloth Be Your Canvas
The gift: The itch to paint is something to adhere to, especially around holidays. It can take you places! One day, you can be on your sofa, clueless about the present you should get your long-necked BFF. The next one, you can dot an entire neckerchief for them, the proud stroller who likes keeping their chin up at Antarctica temperatures!
How to make it: Wash a cotton gauze neckerchief or a cotton handkerchief, let it dry, and tape it on a protective work surface. Mix some fabric and acrylic paint, and see the brush strokes freshen up the wearable. Once the paint dries, iron it at medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes and keep it for yourself. Correction, correction — gift it!
6. ‘Tis Time to Tease Them With Trees of Tea
The gift: One, two, three — it’s a tree! But it’s four, five, six, and many more tea bags trunk to top, and that’s exciting! Any avid chai drinkers you can spot with the corner of your eye? Yes? Your Christmas DIY gifts quest ends here, then. And the creation isn’t appealing to kittens — until it is.
How to make it: Glue the edges of different tea bags on a styrofoam cone and construct the tree starting from the bottom. Bags in the same layer should overlap slightly. Once you reach the top, attach a little round box filled with rice to the tree’s base and put a star in its crown.
7. Slide Down Childhood Memory Lane the Sweetest Way
The gift: Flying into snow piles. Crashing into a neighbor’s living fence head-first, butt-second. Or gliding down the endless downhill, feeling the hype of winter freedom — only to ram into your buddy’s rusty, ol’ sleigh that slides only when rammed into anyways. Celebrate the memory of wintry friendships and battle wounds with candy cane sleds!
How to make it: Wrap some tiny boxes in holiday ribbon and put double-sided tape over it. Glue two candy canes to the bottom of each box (salty sticks will do to recreate that crusty sled from earlier). Fill the boxes with candy, and be six again, together with your BFF!
8. Pom-Pom a Special Person’s Looks and Vibe
The gift: Your dearest one is fantastic and bombastic. They’re the Mary Poppins of modern times, a fierce elf, a badass Santa — if the many extra pounds were there. All these things considered, you need a few unique Christmas gifts for the element of surprise. Or just one that’s equally ballsy and cute.
How to make it: Create the pom-poms with a pom-pom maker and yarn (it takes about a skein to make four pom-poms). Make the woolen balls as colorful as you want. String them using yarn thread and an embroidery needle. Remove any excess fuzz with scissors, and call it a day because you’ve made a lovely scarf!
9. Do Not Take a Bite of These Crispy Fries
The gift: “Honey, my tummy is growling! Should we order takeout?” asks the husband. “Boo, check the fri—Christmas tree!” thrillingly answers the wife. Is this the festive chit-chat you want your favorite couple to have when hunger strikes? Say no more; french fries are a must-have.
How to make it: Create this McDonald’s hallmark with upholstery foam cuttings (1/2″ thick ones) and fry containers. Use 10-12 foamy non-edibles per container. But before you put them in the holder, paint them yellow. Then, glaze the cup’s bottom with hot glue and place the fries inside quickly. Shorter ones go in the front, larger ones in the back. Use baker’s twine to make the ornament hangable.
10. Oh, Deer…
The gift: If it’s brown… it’s one of the best DIY holiday presents you can give, haha! Brownies should never be ignored, especially not if Rudolph-the-reindeer-coded!
How to make it: Preheat your oven to 177°C (350°F) and lightly grease the cups of a 12-cup muffin pan. Then, whisk together a cup of flour, 1/4 cup of cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt.
Put 1/2 cup of butter cubes and 8 ounces of bittersweet chopped chocolate into a heatproof bowl placed on top of a pot of simmering water. The bowl shouldn’t be touching the water. Stir until everything melts.
Once the ingredients are liquified, remove the bowl from the heat and add 1 1/4 cups of sugar, three large eggs, and the flour-and-cocoa mixture. Stir every time you add something new to the bowl.
Put the batter in the muffin pan cups, filling each of them about two-thirds. Bake until the brownies can pass the toothpick test, which is about 20-25 minutes. Once baked, take them out of the oven and leave the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Then, remove the brownies from it and leave them on the rack to cool completely.
Use an electric mixer to beat 1/2 cup of unsalted butter on medium speed for the buttercream. Once it’s light and creamy, add 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, and two tablespoons of whole milk or cream. Beat until everything combines. Then, add 3/6 cup of confectioner’s sugar and mix for a while before adding 3/6 cup more of the same ingredient.
Use the buttercream to frost the brownies evenly. Then, decorate them with candy eyes, red M&Ms for the noses, and pretzel twist halves. Delicious!
11. Let the Aroma of X-Mas Simmer for a Jollier, Merrier Atmosphere
The gift: Familiar Xmas aromas can recharge our batteries, luring us to stay inside forever. That’s why simmering pots make some of the most fantastic Christmas DIY gifts! The colorful arrangement of citrus fruits and berries, the bubbles bursting into scents that caress our hearts — pure magic!
How to make it: There are many ways to prepare a simmer pot kit. However, if you’re making one for the first time, try combining a few orange wedges, a bunch of fresh cranberries, some cinnamon sticks, a spoonful of whole cloves, a bay leaf or two, and a star anise pod. Fresh woodsy herbs and lemons are perfect for refreshing undertones. Everything goes in a pot filled with fresh water and is left to simmer at low heat for a few hours.
12. Map Out Your Friend’s Upcoming Adventures
The gift: On a plane or a bus, high up in the mountains or low, near the seashore. Visiting Europe, Asia, and the Americas, traveling from China to Egypt and back. If this is how your most beloved folks live, make a scratch-off map for them!
How to make it: Print out a map of the world, a continent, or a country these peeps are ready to explore. Buy a sheet of scratch-off paper that fits the size of the map and put it on top of it. Peel off the backing of the scratch-off piece, frame the present, and gift it together with a coin!
13. Let It Snow A Bunch of Jarred, Homemade Snowflakes
The gift: As Frank Sinatra once sang, “Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!” So, why not listen to this excellent advice when checking out different homemade Christmas gift ideas? Here’s to dazzling blizzards your dearest person can hold in the palm of their hand!
How to make it: Wash, dry, and remove fingerprint stamps from your jar. Scuff up its lid’s underside and use a dollop of epoxy to attach a little figurine (a Xmas tree, for example) to it. Fill the jar with distilled water, leaving space for the bibelot. Add a tiny drop of glycerine, and pour in some tinsel glitter. Close the container, and have your boo give it a shake!
14. Embroider Someone’s Sneezy Feats On Handkerchiefs
The gift: Achoo! Once in a while, that’s the only sound of winter we can hear — that is, if our ears aren’t ringing with pain after we’ve tried cleaning up our runny noses for the millionth time. But funny embroidered handkerchiefs are more than a perfect booger shield.
How to make it: You’ll need a few cotton napkins and a bit of creativity. Use a water-soluble marker to write something witty in the corner of each hankie and stem-stitch each letter. Remove the stray marks with a bit of water. Then, locate your friend’s nostrils on Google Maps and bring them a gift!
15. Gift Your Friend a Tea Set and Such… Without the “Such”
The gift: The teaspoon is missing, and all the tea bags are used and swamping your trash. It’s hard to admit, but you ate all the sugar cubes from your kitchen drawer, too. It’s all gone, like the Gone Girl lady. Panic! Well, not if you have a porcelain tea set.
How to make it: Use a porcelain marker to freehand tea break essentials on the dishes. Depending on the product’s specifications, you might be able to wash the ink away if you dislike the drawings. Leave your work to dry for at least 24 hours. Then, bake all items at 149°C (300°F) for 35 minutes, let them cool completely, wash them, and make some tea!
Come Festive Season, You’ll Need Homemade Cash!
We hope you liked our selection of Christmas DIY gifts! If you’d like to earn cash for the items needed to complete your favorite project, check out the Pawns app. Do so and make money by completing online surveys or sharing your unused bandwidth. Because going handmade is cheaper, but it still costs some! Until the next blog!
