8 Lovely Homemade Christmas Gifts To Make This Year

How to Make Homemade Christmas Gifts This Year

Many homemade Christmas gifts are easy to make and a fun project for creative minds. Nothing sends the message “I’m thinking of you” like handmade gifts you take time to craft. Whether your creative calling is in the kitchen, the basement workshop, or the craft room, we’ve got some Christmas gift ideas for you.

Besides: It is more sustainable to craft a gift yourself than to buy something for a friend or family member they don’t need and may never use. Check out the following ideas for your next handmade and eco-friendly gift project.

German Gingerbread Cookies in a Jar

Try this Lebkuchen recipe. German gingerbread cookies make for a great homemade Christmas gift and will undoubtedly impress whoever’s on the receiving end. Bake, let cool and pop the finished cookies in a pretty tin, jar or resealable container.

Tip: The recipe itself also makes for a great DIY Christmas gift. Measure all the dry ingredients and fill them into a glass bottle or jar. But be sure to separate the ingredients for the icing and add a note with instructions. Your friend will only have to pour the ingredients into a bowl and add honey, eggs, milk, and wafers.

Of course, instead of Lebkuchen, you can also use this gingerbread recipe in the same way. Get creative!

Meal Delivery Basket For Foodies

Know your friend’s favorite recipe? Then simply pre-pack all the ingredients they’ll need to whip up that dish and put them into a decorative box or basket. Your DIY version of a meal delivery box is a Christmas gift they will enjoy making and eating.

When it comes to the ingredients: Try plastic-free shopping and buy organic quality foods. This gift idea is great for last-minute gifts! You will find all the ingredients you need at your local supermarket.

Salt Dough Ornaments for Creative Minds

Salt dough ornaments are a fun Christmas craft idea for kids and adults alike. All you need is salt, flour, water, and a little creativity. Check out our salt dough ornaments recipe and get to work shaping, baking, and painting a variety of forms and figures.

Tip: Your kids might also enjoy a tin full of homemade playdough for Christmas. The dough is made from natural ingredients and will be ready in a couple of hours.

Animal-Free Christmas Gift Ideas: Vegan Snacks

You are looking for a homemade Christmas gift idea for a vegan friend or family member? Then give them one of the following snacks as a present:

• Surprise your loved ones with homemade vegan spreads.
• Or create your own homemade pesto for them.
• Make your own granola bars quickly and sustainably with Utopia’s own recipe.
• Or keep things festive and try your hand at some vegan Christmas cookies.
• If you’re really pressed for time, a nice bottle of vegan wine might do the trick.

Design Your Own Reusable Canvas Bag

Now here’s a DIY Christmas gift that will keep on giving: a personalized and stylish reusable canvas bag. Show your friends and family you’re thinking of them this year with this crafty homemade Christmas gift idea. It will show how easy it is to go plastic-free and is a great first step towards greener living.

Buy a blank bag, pick a design, grab some fabric paint or a marker and put your creativity to the test!

Make Candles from Leftover Wax

Looking for a gift that’s both creative and will use ingredients you already have at home? With endless ways to customize, these homemade candles made from leftover wax are sure to impress. Simply melt down the wax leftover from your other candles, pour it over your homemade wick and away you go.

Get creative with up-cycling: use vintage teacups, old mugs, spare mason jars, tin cans, or create standalone candles. Adding dried flowers, seashells, or dried leaves for decoration can jazz things up.

Knitted and Home-sewn Presents

Fiber arts include knitting, sewing and crocheting, and while that may come naturally to some, for others, it can be incredibly daunting. It doesn’t have to be. Help keep your loved ones warm this winter by knitting them a homemade beanie or headband. If knitting seems too complicated, try sewing a homemade heating pad.

Tip: To stick with the cozy theme, why not gift your friends and family a DIY Hot Chocolate mix? Put the cocoa, chocolate, and spices in a jar and write out instructions on how to make it.

Christmas Gifts in a Jar

Remember all that canning and preserving you did back in the fall? This is the perfect time to gift some of it away. Whether you made homemade applesauce, chutney or jam from your surplus of plums or pesto from your ever-bearing basil plant.

Even if you didn’t manage to make any of those with fresh summer produce, nothing is stopping you from picking some groceries up at your local farmers market or organic shop and whipping some jars of something delicious.

Sustainable Christmas Gift Wrapping Ideas

The holiday season is particularly wasteful. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, Americans produce 25 percent more trash than at any other time. So this year, make a conscious effort to prevent waste. We’ve compiled 10 sustainable gift wrapping ideas for your homemade Christmas gifts.

Homemade gift wrap is by far the thriftiest and also adds a personal touch to your presents. Craft a creative paper collage from old magazines or advertisements, or sift through the colorful Sunday comics section of your local paper for the most vibrant pattern.

Utopia Wishes You and Your Family Happy Holidays!

Read on:

• DIY Bath Salt: Homemade Bath Salts Recipe
• Minimalist Christmas Tips: Enjoy a Sustainable and Stress-Free Holiday
• Clever Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint