Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas

Making your loved ones’ Christmas presents is a great way to get creative and show them how much you care. Whether you want to hone your crafting skills or personalise some pampering treats, we’ll help you come up with the perfect ideas to please all the family.

Festive Food and Drink

You can never have too much food at Christmas, so why not give your loved ones the gift of something tasty? You could try making:

• A festive loaf like pumpkin bread or stollen.
• A beautifully decorated cake or batch of biscuits – cupcakes will always go down well with the kids. If you want something that will last a little longer, biscotti can stay fresh for up to a month. You could even display them in a fancy box or ribbon-tied packaging.
• Your own range of chocolates or truffles, for those with an extra sweet tooth!
• Marmalades and jams; they’re easy to personalise to a friend’s tastes, can look fantastically rustic, and are versatile treats that can be used in a variety of snacks and culinary creations.

Plus, who can say no to Christmas tipple? It’s surprisingly easy to make flavoured alcohol, a present few people might think of. To create your own infused gin, all you need is the gin, sugar and flavours to suit whoever is receiving the gift. You can add their favourite berries or herbs like blackcurrants or rosemary. Remember to shake the concoction every day for about seven days, then leave it for a few weeks before Christmas to let it mature. The finished result will be a delicious drink to be enjoyed throughout the festive period, which will help all the rich food go down nicely.

Getting Crafty

Crafted items make classic homemade Christmas gifts. The possibilities are endless! You could knit or crochet anything from a candle cosy to a winter scarf or pair of fluffy socks. Ornaments are also a fun avenue to go down; try your hand at traditional salt dough moulded into festive shapes such as gingerbread men or candy canes. A quick, elegant way to create a set of baubles is to fill a glass ornament with feathers, sequins or leftover ribbon. Anyone is sure to love the artistic flair that your work adds to their Christmas tree.

If you’re into DIY, why not make a family member something useful for their home, like a spice rack? Just attach some small wooden boxes to an old chopping board and add a strap to hang it on the wall. Or, what about making coasters out of polymer clay or tiles? You could paint your own designs and add some colour to their coffee table.

Making jewellery is a fantastic way to get creative – you can buy cheap kits online. If you want to add a special touch, you could change your pendants to something more novel like a thimble, vintage bottle cap or button.

Treats for the Senses

It’s often hard to relax over the Christmas break, so giving a pampering related gift is ideal for an overworked loved one. Treats for using in the bathroom like soap and candles are simpler to make than you think. Once you’ve bought your base, you can add personalised ingredients like honey and flower petals, or different scents and colours.

If you want to really set the festive atmosphere, collect things like dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks and cloves – plus some fragrance oil to be mixed in – and make potpourri! Your friend can simply add the oil to the ingredients in a Tupperware a few hours before using it, and then enjoy the smell of Christmastime.

Christmas Cards and Gift Boxes

If you don’t have time to make the gifts themselves, decorating cards and boxes for your presents lets you still add a handmade touch. Get hold of some different coloured paper, ribbon, pens and stamps to make your own Christmas cards, and anything from pompoms to bows and coloured tape for gift boxes. You could even add a touch of nature with some greenery, or an especially festive feel with some jingle bells.

Living abroad can make it difficult to get the perfect homemade gift materials if they’re sold by a UK-only seller. We can ship them to your country with our UK package forwarding service, so you can create your Christmas presents with ease. Contact us to discover more about how we can help you this festive season.