DIY Christmas Gifts: 100+ Homemade Gifts Your Friends and Family Will Adore

This one had me at "Chocolate Tower." Perfect for the chocolate lover in your life or perhaps a chocolate-loving family? This sweet gift is sure to be a hit wherever chocolate is consumed.

For the foodie in your life, basil sea salt is a great choice. It's affordable, easy to make, and will upgrade the quality of every meal. 

Since I'm a vegetarian, I can't personally comment on how good beef jerky is. However, I've heard many non-vegetarians rave about it, so I am sure this DIY jerky (made without a dehydrator) would be an excellent gift choice. The recipe makes lots, so this one is good if you need a bunch of quick and yummy gifts. 

Each year, my kids participate in a homeschooling craft fair where they sell a variety of crafts and DIY gifts they've worked on throughout the fall. We always include some kind of cookie or brownie mix in a jar and it's a huge hit. It looks impressive and also delivers a fun post-Christmas family activity. Score

What would Christmas be without some good, old-fashioned butter cookies? I try (operative word being try) to avoid these the rest of the year, but who can resist them at Christmas? This butter cookie recipe from Renana's kitchen uses vanilla for a flavourful twist.

Make your own chai tea latte mix at home? Yes, please! The nice thing about this gift is it will take you about the same amount of time to make one as it will to make ten, so you can give them to all your tea latte-loving friends.

Caramels are such a decadent treat, a little will go a long way. Whip up a few batches of these treats to give as favours at your Christmas party or bag them for sale at the mandatory Christmas bake sale.

Cranberry pear jam would be the perfect post-Christmas breakfast food (assuming you're not secretly eating leftover pumpkin pie, that is). Try out this super-simple recipe from Creative Homemaking.

Cookies in a jar is our go-to handmade Christmas gift. It's fun and easy to make and who doesn't love baking with all the measuring done for you! Try this cranberry white chocolate oatmeal cookie recipe from Suburban Simplicity.

These salts sound so yummy, I'm tempted to walk away from the computer and whip some up right away. These fantastic hostess gifts come in several flavors, including Sriracha, Pinto Noir, Mustard, and Celery, but you can also go rogue and come up with your own. 

This holiday fudge looks almost too pretty to eat. Almost. Perfect gifts for teachers and coaches.

Nikki at Tikkido is a gingerbread master; she even has an ebook on making gingerbread. She makes over 100 houses a year to give away as gifts. I've never made a gingerbread house from scratch before, but with her detailed gingerbread house tutorial, I think I could attempt one. 

This one had me at "no bake." (Are you starting to get the impression that I can be a little lazy?) When it comes to DIY Christmas gifts, speed and simplicity are the key to making a nice idea into a practical reality. This chewy no bake granola bar recipe is a great fit!

Rich chocolate ganache on a stick that can effortlessly be stirred into a cup of steamed milk? Drool. I love that Eating Richly's Hot Chocolate on a Stick gift tutorial also includes vegan options. Even better!

Here's a fun twist on the traditional hot chocolate in a bag. It's a multi-purpose gift: first it's an ornament, then it's a fun drink. Can't go wrong with that. 

I'm a huge coconut fan so these balls sound amazing. Four ingredients and no baking. These would be great as a hostess gift, in a DIY gift basket, or on a tiered dessert tray at your holiday party. 

With only three ingredients, these rich slices of peppermint chocolate bark would be simple and quick enough to pass out to everyone at work or a Christmas party.

Edible kits make for great stocking stuffers and a fun family activity for a quiet Christmas afternoon or Boxing Day. Check out these DIY popcorn ball kits from Sheri Silver.

To me, this just sounds like the perfect holiday snack. Nuts, salted caramel, rosemary...an intriguing combination to be sure. But I adore them all, so I give this one two thumbs up. Perfect for anyone who loves sweet and salty. Wait, that's everyone, right?

Salted chocolate. Need I say more?  While this recipe isn't healthy at all, it looks super yummy and amazing, like a salted chocolate caramel bar. A little will go a long way here as well. It's vegan, gluten free, and requires only four ingredients. 

Sea salt. Rosemary. Homemade crackers. This post is speaking my language. A batch of these with some spiced pecans and the Jezebel sauce below would made the perfect foodie gift basket. 

Pecans are definitely my favourite nut, especially around the holidays. I always try to keep lots of them on hand. These ones combine brown sugar, salt, fresh herbs and cayenne pepper for an addictive medley of flavours. 

I'm all about cheese boards at any time of year, so I love discovering new sauces and condiments to freshen up my standard arrangements. I hadn't heard of Jezebel sauce before, but it's sweetened with pineapples and gets its southern kick from horseradish, so I'm definitely making a batch this season. 

As I said, I can't get enough of pecans at this time of year, so here's another recipe for you. If you like them on the sweeter side, these candied pecans, which use maple syrup, butter and a hint of salt will be right up your alley.

This shadow box decor is like a snow globe you hang on the wall (although shaking it is probably not advisable). Its modern farmhouse style oozes with charm and you'll have as much fun putting together this tiny scene as your recipient will have opening it.

I love making wooden signs, but I have mostly stopped giving them as gifts as the ones I make are super time-consuming. Not so with this Joy sign. With only two letters to paint and stencils to help you along the way, this lovely holiday decor piece comes together in a snap.

These candles are so easy to make and such a great gift to receive. Honestly, even though I love making these myself and always have the supplies on hand, they're still one of my favourite gifts to be given. They last a long time and leave the whole house smelling amazing, without any of the side effects of synthetic fragrances.

How gorgeous is this precious little keepsake? That gold paint makes me want to go out and make a clay footprint bowl right away. You could even make a set by doing one of each child. 

This lovely gift is easy to make with Swoodson Says' embroidered snowflake ornament pattern. Sewn with a simple back stitch, this would be a perfect first embroidery project for someone who has always wanted to try it out. Keep it simple or bling it up with sequins and beads. 

This photo frame is so much fun and definitely something that your kids could help with or possibly even do on their own, depending on ages. Either way, it'll definitely be a treasured piece for any dad to receive. 

We've tried so many different Christmas ornament patterns over the years, to varying degrees of success. Unfortunately, many of the ornament crafts that claim to be simple end up being super complicated. (Two hours for a stuffed felt snowman??) These fabric ornaments look super easy to make and there is no sewing required! 

Soy wax jar candles is a perennial DIY Christmas gift in our home. They are amazingly simple but still impressive, beautiful, and practical. I've never tried making a layered one before, but this citrus oil-infused candle might be my first. 

This is so cool. It seems like something you would find at Ten Thousand Villages or another creative gift shop. It is a decorative bowl made from old magazine pages and glue. This is definitely something I want to try doing with my kids. 

This wreath is way easier than it looks and should come together in less than an hour. You can customize the ornaments to make it a personalized gift for anyone on your list who has a door. 

Paperwhite narcissus bulbs make the perfect DIY home decor gift. They're beautiful, low-maintenance and super quick and easy to put together. Sheri Silver has a great tutorial for these paperwhites in a bowl. 

This cute beeswax jar candle is scented with peppermint oil and dressed up with a bow and a pair of buttons to resemble a snowman.  This would be a great secret Santa gift. 

For the coffee (or pumpkin spice latte) lover in your life: a hand-poured candle in a ceramic Starbucks cup. Priceless. If your budget allows for it, adding a small Starbucks gift card would also be a nice touch. 

This is the perfect gift for someone who is sensitive to synthetic fragrances found in many candles and air fresheners. Handmade stovetop citrus potpourri is the perfect, natural way to keep a home smelling like Christmas.

This is another great hostess gift. In one hour, you can whip up a brightly-colored table runner in your recipient's favourite colors. If her kids make as big of a mess of her table linens as mine do, she will be thrilled to receive one of these!

Warning: This peppermint bark soap looks good enough to eat... but that still doesn't mean you should do it! (See the edible peppermint bark recipe above if that's what you're in the mood for). Otherwise, whip up a batch of this delectable-looking soap, add it to a DIY Christmas gift basket and watch your friends swoon.

This scrub combines sugar, coconut oil, cinnamon, and apple spice fragrance into an aromatic beauty product that you'll have to remind your recipient not to eat! 

I love the idea of hiding something inside a bath bomb. It's like a Kinder Surprise without the melted chocolate and the microscopic instructions. If you're feeling particularly ambitious, this post includes ideas for a "ring bomb party".

The perfect gift to give as a stocking stuff or sell at a Christmas craft fair. These candy cane lip balms use beeswax, shea butter, and sweet almond oil to keep dry lips protected all winter long. 

Here's another lip balm option. This one uses beeswax, coconut oil, cocoa butter, peppermint oil, and a chocolate chip to create a sweet smelling (and tasting?) balm that will please chocolate lovers. 

Here's another one that addresses a very real winter challenge: chapped, dry hands. Help your friends get ahead of the problem with this essential-oil infused cuticle oil. 

This essential oils gift basket actually has several DIY projects in it, so pick and choose as you see fit. This is the perfect gift for someone who loves a natural, sparkling clean home. Included DIY projects: cinnamon room spray, no-sew heating pack, DIY lemon bath bombs. 

Give the gift of a spa at home. This gingerbread brown sugar scrub is another one that smells so good, you might want to remind them not to accidentally eat it.

It really doesn't get any easier than these grapefruit bath salts. Once you have the ingredients, this will take you about a minute to put together, but your recipient will enjoy the stress-relieving benefits well after the hectic Christmas season. 

Doesn't this herbal bath tea just look too good to use? I think I would just want to keep the jar on my bathroom counter all year as decor. But not only is it beautiful, it also makes for such a nice bath experience too, infusing the water with oatmeal, lavender, calendula, and roses. Heavenly!

Yet another one that may need to come with a disclaimer, lest the recipient gets it mixed up with all the other delicious treats lying around on Christmas morning. It seriously looks that yummy. These rich lotion bars are filled with skin-loving ingredients such as beeswax, cocoa butter, and vitamin E. 

Soap is another handmade gift we make each year and we do either cold process or melt and pour, depending on how much time we have. Jelly soap is new to me though and these adorable guest soaps look simple, quick, and beautiful. 

Whereas the grapefruit bath salts are invigorating and will increase energy, lavender bath salts are perfect for relaxing and relieving tension. This recipe from Beauty Crafter also includes some ideas for rounding out a spa gift basket. 

Made with a combination of coconut oil and shea butter, I'd say this lotion is closer to a body butter than a lotion, but with winter's penchant for causing dry skin, all the better! This thick and creamy recipe smells like a freshly-baked gingerbread cookie and makes a lovely DIY mason jar gift.

 This lavender soap uses a goat milk melt and pour base, which means it will be creamy and luxurious, but also quick and easy. While this type of soap can be used as soon as it cools, it will harden much more (and last longer) if you let it set for 2-3 weeks. Still, if you're making it as a last minute gift, you can always include a note on the gift tag advising the recipient to enjoy it visually for a few weeks before using it. 

This simple DIY hand scrub will leave skin fresh and glowing. Pair it with a box of tea and you're good to go. 

This quick and easy loofah soap is not just cute and practical, it's genius. Even though I've been making soap for a while, I've never heard of loofah soap before. How smart is it to embed an exfoliating loofah sponge into a bar of glycerin soap? Perfect gift for your efficiency loving friends!

Indecisive? If you can't decide which bath bombs to make, why not get creative and make a customized set? These mini bath bombs set faster than full sized ones and you can play around with the recipes to get the perfect combo for the bath lover on your list.

Made from coconut oil, peppermint oil and sugar, this Peppermint Sugar Scrub from Beauty Crafter  not only smells amazing but is the perfect pick me up for winter skin. 

This DIY relaxing bath gift basket is so easy to create. Free printable Christmas themed tags make this spa kit a festive and unique handmade Christmas gift idea for a lucky friend!

This post on creating a sore muscle bath salt soak also includes recipes for different combinations of essential oils, so you can customize each bath salt to the recipient's personal needs. 

 The bath bombs with rose petals and glittery bronze powder are the perfect choice for the glamorous person in your life. 

For anyone whose counter is getting as cluttered as mine is, a leather cord organizer could be the best DIY Christmas gift idea ever. It's easy on the eyes, functional, and will help redeem counter space. Brilliant!

I so need this! If you are looking for a gift for me—or someone just like me, who stockpiles blankets like the furnace is going to stop working at any moment—this is the DIY gift for you. It does require woodworking skills, but if you're down with that, this one is definitely a great option. 

When I first saw this DIY cake stand post, I was confused; I couldn't figure out what part of it was DIY. When I realized that the whole thing was? Mind blown. This is the coolest thing, and definitely something I want to try this year. After all, we're going to need more decorative serving dishes to display all those yummy treats!

I could see myself just stocking up on flannel at the fabric store and making myself—uh, I mean my friends—a dozen of these cozy scarves. Fifteen minutes of work for a whole season of coziness? Um, yeah!

If you know someone who is always cold, this is the perfect gift. It's easy to make and you can customize the fabric to your recipient's tastes. These little heating pads are also great for kids, and they come with an adorable printable gift tag. 

This gift is perfect for the mama of toddlers whose kids are always pulling off her kitchen towels and leaving them on the floor. She will LOVE you. 

Festive cat toys filled with catnip infused cotton balls will please any cat owner this Christmas.

These leather bookmarks are super simple to create, no crafting skills required! You can customize the design on the leather bookmark so it works for literally anyone on your list…male or female, young or old!

These leather bookmarks are super simple to create, no crafting skills required! You can customize the design on the leather bookmark so it works for literally anyone on your list…male or female, young or old!

This is perfect for homeschooling families. We can never have enough dishes for collecting writing instruments, can we? You can use a purchased or upcycled box and the included printable periodic table or any design of your choosing for your pencil cup. Such a quick and easy DIY project!

This one requires a little more effort than some of the others but will create a lasting gift that your recipient will treasure. Find out how Centsable Mama uses tiles, felt, and Modge Podge to create these adorable photo coasters. 

For the coffee or tea lover in your life, a personalized coffee mug is a super choice. I did this project once and wrote Bible verses on mugs for each person in our small group. It's a very fun and simple project, and will be enjoyed all year long.

This one is less DIY, but still customized and personal. If you need a last minute gift and don't have time to whip up a more complicated option, this post has you covered. 

Depending on how DIY you want your gift to be, this snowman soap can be an excellent last minute gift choice. If you use store-bought hand soap, all you have to do is add a bit of paint, an adorable gift tag and some ribbon. If you're feeling more adventurous, you can make your own soap to go with this project using this foaming hand soap recipe from Soap Queen. 

This is a great DIY gift for a teacher or for anyone else in your life who loves to stay organized. As a bonus, this sticky note memo holder comes together in less than fifteen minutes. 

If you enjoy sewing, a handmade tablet pouch is such a practical gift. Mix and match patterns or use up some scrap fabric. Either way, your recipient will love the personalized touch. 

This easy-to-make, practical toiletry carrying caseensures that your toothbrush doesn't touch your shoes when you stuff them all in your suitcase. It's also great for people going to camp or living on campus. 

This is not only practical and creative, but stylish as well. These tortilla warmers would be the perfect gift for your friend who loves Mexican food, especially if they enjoy making their own tortillas. 

I absolutely adore this upcycled throw pillow made from an old skirt. I have a huge box of clothes in need of repair that I've just never gotten around to fixing—and now everybody has outgrown them. I love that there is another option!

For kids who love reading, this easy DIY Christmas gift is sure to please. If you have a sewing machine, you can make this thoughtful gift in about an hour and take joy in watching your kids snuggle up with a good book all year round.

If you're short on time and need to put together a fun gift for kids that is sure to please, a slime maker kit could be just the ticket. I've yet to meet a good who doesn't get a thrill out of making slime, and having the materials on hand will make it that much easier for them to produce a batch of their favorite viscous substance.

These felt hair clips are insanely cute. Made with just two small circles of felt, a metal clip, and a few dabs of glue from a hot glue gun, they couldn't be easier to put together either.

While soap may not necessarily be the first thing that comes to mind when you ask yourself, "What will kids love to get this year?", this adorable project might change your mind, or at least convince you that it'd be a welcome add-on. These genius mini soaps, made with Lego-shaped silicone molds, will make bath time so much more fun in the new year.

These birdfeeders are super simple for kids to make, even preschoolers can get in on the action. These would make a great gift for grandparents. 

This travel game stored in an Altoid tin—or a magnetic spice jar from Ikea?—is perfect for preschoolers. It can be played on a plane, or a ferry, or anywhere you have to wait. It would also be good at home for teaching math and counting. 

I'm constantly amazed by the variety of things people come up with to do with chalkboard paint. This practical little board book is so simple to make but such a great gift idea. Perfect for kids to play with in the car or waiting for appointments. 

All you need for this cool DIY gift is a bunch of broken crayons—I guarantee you have those lying at the bottom of a drawer somewhere in your kitchen. What a great way to use them up and make a unique DIY gift for your kids' friends at the same time. 

Okay, so this is definitely not the classiest gift in the bunch. But if your kids like a little snot humor—and who doesn't?—this is a fantastic gift choice. It's also two gifts in one: a jar full of green slime to play with conceals a hidden object such as a gift cart. The elf snot instructions also include this cute printable label. 

My kids made a similar craft at an art gallery-hosted Christmas event a few years ago. They enjoyed it so much. This Waldorf hand kite is the perfect gift for big kids to make for younger siblings. 

So, this project is not one of the easier DIYs on this list, but it's so unique and special, I knew I had to include it. For those with sewing skills and a little patience, this fabric book with accompanying felt dolls and clothes could be the most thoughtful DIY gift you make this year.

So maybe woodworking isn't your thing, but you enjoy refurbishing furniture? If so, you will love this brilliant tutorial from The Goodhearted Woman on turning a plain rocking chair into a The Kissing Hand-themed chair perfect for a young child's reading nook. 

This is a great gift to give to a child, or for a child to give to a grandparent, especially if they have a chance to do the puzzle together. I'd never even heard of printable magnet paper before reading this post, and now I feel like a whole world of DIY opportunity just opened up!

I love to put personalized soaps in my kids' stockings each year. With a large family, kids can sometimes feel like nothing is truly theirs. It's amazing how far a personalized item like soap in a shape and color selected just for them can go in making them feel special. Check out these mermaid tail soaps from Sugar, Spice and Glitter. 

I love everything about this box. It's so cool that it's opened on New Year's Eve—something special to look forward to after Christmas and also a great kick-off to a new year. Inside are monthly gifts of one-on-one time for each child to be opened each month of the year. This is the best gift anyone could give a kid, I think.

These easy ornaments would be fun to make with preschoolers or young kids for giving to their friends, teachers, or grandparents. 

Another genius idea: sensory toys contained in a bag! I love my sensory bins, but I'm not crazy about cleaning them up—every single day. These sensory bags should thrill the toddler in your life—at least for a few minutes!

Practical, easy, cute, and totally customizable—these bags from Adventures of a DIY Mom are the perfect gifts for your kids to make for their friends. 

A set of these personalized polymer clay necklaces would be a great gift for a tween girl. Oh, who am I kidding—I don't know who wouldn't love one of these. They're precious!

The best part about these wind chimes is that they don't actually chime. They're cute and whimsical and you can use anything you have on hand. They're a perfect gift for your child to make for a friend or relative. 

This super cute Pixie Dust pendant has plenty of sparkles and can be customized with whatever colors you like, the perfect gift for little girls who love to dress up. 

These simple DIY zen gardens for kids (or adults) are practical and calming. This would be a great gift for older siblings who need to de-stress after a morning with their busy little siblings. 

Make this nautical-themed DIY wrapping paper in 40 minutes using kraft paper, stamps, glitter, and wooden embellishments. Skip the storebought stuff and put a personalized spin on your DIY gifts. (You can, of course, switch up the theme to match your gift or the person to whom you are gifting).

On first glance, I thought this was a literal suit wrapped around a gift and I thought, that's not very practical. When I saw that it was all made out of paper, I was very impressed. This would be the perfect presentation of a gift for anyone in the military, or you could adapt it for anyone who wears a uniform of any type. 

With this super creative gift box tutorial and printable from Artsy Fartsy Mama, you can actually make your own gift boxes out of card stock. I imagine it might take a couple of tries to master this technique, but once you've got it down you'll be an unstoppable gift giver!

This printable coloring box is great for holding a DIY or non-DIY gift. You could fill it with yummy treats, crayon shapes, or an assortment of bath salts and scrubs. Or just pick up some sharpies and call it a day.  

If you're trying to cut back on paper waste this year (or use up some leftover fabric from some of those sewing projects), you have to check out this post on the Japanese art of fabric wrapping. These are such beautiful ideas!