Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas from Christmas Creatives

Christmas can be an expensive time of year so if you’re looking to save money, a homemade Christmas gift can be the way to go. Making Christmas gifts can also be a fun activity to do with your children (if you have the patience). Some of the most treasured gifts I have received have been ones that have been handmade. Here are some ideas you might like to try.

Christmas Decorations

• Yuletide log

Drill a hole in a small log and put in a candle, add some holly, a pinecone, and some curly ribbon. Spray with a bit of fake snow for a cute centre piece. Or go for a New Zealand theme with some Pohutukawa and a mini cricket set made with toothpicks.

• Polystyrene baubles

This a trick that even professional Christmas tree decorators have been known to use. Get some polystyrene balls from a craft store. With a craft knife, make 4 x half inch deep cuts into the ball from end to end (almost as if you were trying to cut it into quarters). Take some Christmas fabric and cut into “orange segment” shapes that will fit over the segments cut into the ball with about a cm margin on all sides. Place the fabric over the polystyrene ball and using a butter knife, press the edges of the fabric into the slits. The aim is to make a quilted effect. Finish by attaching a ribbon loop with a pin to hang on the tree.

• Beaded baubles

These are great for people to add to their decorated Christmas tree. Get some polystyrene balls, sewing pins, beads, and sequins. The beads need to be small enough not to come off the end of the pin. A mixture of round and long beads works well. Take a pin, thread on a round bead, then a long one, then a sequin and stick it in the bauble. Cover the whole bauble with a pattern and pin on a ribbon to finish.

Something delicious

• Mini meringues

Sometimes called meringue cookies – use a basic meringue recipe, add a swirl of red food colouring and a little mint essence. Pipe bike sized cookies on to the tray to bake. Put several in a bag with a pretty ribbon – these are so cheap and easy to make!

• Salted caramel sauce

Save your glass coffee jars throughout the year, and just before Christmas make some lovely salted caramel sauce – this often has cream in it so make sure you keep it refrigerated and make it just before you intend to present it

• Dukka and infused Olive Oil

Dukka is a mixture of ground nuts and spices that you serve with bread dipped in olive oil. This is a great gift as the recipient can serve it at Christmas to their guests – or just keep it for themselves as a treat. Keep jam jars and small bottles during the year to pack your goodies in.

Something useful

• Sew something

If you’re handy with a sewing machine, you could whip something up – if it was 2020 again, I would suggest face masks, hopefully those will be a thing of the past soon enough. Other options are a pretty apron or a Christmas tea towel. Or, if sewing isn’t your thing but it’s something your friend likes, gift them a piece of fabric and a pattern and they can sew something themselves.

• Household or beauty products

With a move to more sustainable living, there are oodles of recipes for homemade beauty and household products on the internet. Try making your own soap infused with herbs, or a candle in a jar with small (heatproof) treasures set within the wax.

• Give the gift of time.

Do something useful for your loved one such as clean their house for them, mow their lawn or prepare their firewood for next winter. For an extra special treat, why not get Christmas Creatives to decorate their home with some Christmas touches, or a decorated Christmas tree. As Christmas decorators, we’ve done several surprise decorations for people and the recipients have always felt so special and spoiled, and it means they don’t have to do it themselves this year, they can just sit back and enjoy the decorations.

If you are interested in gifting the services of Christmas Creatives to someone special, have a look at the beautiful decorated Christmas trees that we do, and book one, or contact us to discuss your Christmas decoration ideas.