Our Best Homemade Christmas Gifts

Our Best Homemade Christmas Gifts – These easy DIY holiday gifts are so fun to share with friends, neighbors, teachers, co-workers + more!

‘Tis the season for gifting and while we’ve shared a bunch of fun gift guides, today I wanted to touch on one of my favorite categories of gifting–homemade gifts! It’s so fun to make your own holiday gifts to share with friends, neighbors, teachers, and co-workers. I love adding a personal touch by making something ourselves, and it can be a great way to keep to a budget if you have a lot of gifts to buy.

I combed through our best holiday posts to put everything all in one place, and I’m feeling all kinds of holly jolly just looking at the choices! I’ve included plenty of edible gifts (perfect for cookie plates or treat plates!), and several non-edible DIY holiday gifts to choose from. Without further ado, here are some of our favorite DIY Christmas gifts!

1. STOVETOP CHRISTMAS POTPOURRI.

This is probably my favorite homemade Christmas gift of all! It’s perfect in so many ways because it’s not meant to be eaten, which is great for friends with allergies, food intolerances, or special dietary needs. (Sometimes it can be hard if everyone keeps giving you treats that you can’t eat!)

Instead, this stovetop Christmas potpourri is like bottling the smell of the holidays up as a gift! Your recipient just needs to slice up the citrus (if they want), pour out the contents into a saucepan and add water to simmer on the stove. It smells AMAZING!

We even have free printable gift tags you can use with bags + ribbon to package it up in an adorable way!

• GET THE STOVETOP POTPOURRI RECIPE + PRINTABLE GIFT TAGS HERE.

2. HOT CHOCOLATE SPOONS

These hot chocolate spoons are a DELICIOUS edible holiday gift for friends and neighbors. They only take a few ingredients to make (and you can use cute spoons or popsicle sticks), and they make seriously delicious, chocolatey cup of cocoa.

Wrap them individually to make them go further or put them in bunches for a cute effect. I love to attach gift cards for teachers or tuck them in a cute cup for friends!

These come with printable gift tags that give instructions for making a cup of hot chocolate to make things even easier!

• GET THE HOT CHOCOLATE SPOONS RECIPE + PRINTABLE GIFT TAGS HERE

3. GLUTEN-FREE GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Is there anything cuter on a holiday cookie plate than adorably decorated gingerbread cookies? I LOVE how fun and festive they feel this time of year. My easy recipe has been tested and tested again, and comes with LOTS of ideas for decorating your gluten-free gingerbread cookies. I’ve got ideas for gingerbread men, snowflakes, trees, and candy canes + tons of tips to make things easy on yourself.

PS – Not gluten-free? The recipe works with regular white flour, too! 

• GET THE GINGERBREAD COOKIE RECIPE + OUR BEST FROSTING TIPS HERE. 

4. GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE CRINKLE COOKIES

Speaking of adorable cookies, our gluten-free chocolate crinkle cookies look like snowy little bites of magic on a holiday cookie plate! Ultra chocolatey with an almost brownie-like texture, they’re the PERFECT festive cookie to give and always get devoured in a flash. (Our gluten-eating family ate these faster than any other dessert at our house last year!)

And, if your’e not gluten-free, you can make them with traditional white flour, too! 

• GET THE CHOCOLATE CRINKLE COOKIE RECIPE HERE

5. MOM’S STICKY CHRISTMAS CHEX MIX.

First off, a disclaimer: the photos on this post are over a DECADE old, but the recipe is CRAZY delicious. My mom’s sticky Chex mix was always our family’s neighbor gift growing up, and people would ask about it year after year. She uses a few little tricks that make it special and your world will never be the same after trying it.

It’s definitely not a health food, but if there was ever a time of year to indulge, this is it!

Gluten-Free? Just use two kinds of Chex instead of mixing Chex and graham cereal!

• GET MY MOM’S LEGENDARY CHRISTMAS CHEX MIX RECIPE HERE

6. ROSEMARY SEA SALT NUTS

Not everyone’s into sweets this time of year (hard to believe, but it’s true!), so a savory homemade holiday gift like these Rosemary Sea Salt Mixed Nuts can be a delicious change of pace. They’re delicious on their own, and make a great addition to a charcuterie board or snack plate. We put them on repeat all season long!

• GET THE ROSEMARY NUT MIX RECIPE HERE

7. CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT PRETZELS

These Chocolate Peppermint Pretzels might be the EASIEST holiday treat ever. With just 3-4 ingredients, they only take 20-30 minutes to make and taste SO GOOD. Ours are made allergy-friendly with gluten-free pretzels and allergy-friendly chocolate chips, but you can make them with your faves. Traditional pretzels and chocolate chips will work identically!

• GET OUR CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT PRETZELS RECIPE HERE

8. HAND SOAP + GIFT TAGS

We’ve been giving hand soap as gifts to neighbors and teachers for YEARS. It’s easy (nothing to make since you can buy the soap!), it’s useful (who DOESN’T need hand soap in 2020?), and it’s not edible (great when people can feel overwhelmed with treats).

I usually attach gift cards for teachers when we go this route so they can get things for their classrooms or check things off their own Christmas lists. It can be super helpful!

Don’t miss our printable gift tags that make gifting super easy! 

• GET OUR HOLIDAY SOAP GIFT TAGS HERE.

9. PALEO GINGER COOKIES

If gingerbread cookies are feeling a bit fussy, or you’re making treats for a friend who eats gluten- or grain-free, these paleo ginger cookies are a major winner. With a crackly outside and a soft, chewy inside, these perfectly-spiced ginger cookies will be a DIY Christmas gift they’ll remember.

• GET OUR PALEO GINGER COOKIE RECIPE HERE.

10. MAPLE CANDIED PECANS

Another 3-ingredient treat that’s perfect for holiday gifts! These maple candied pecans only need 3 simple ingredients (4 if you want to add cinnamon!), and only take 10-15 minutes to pull together. Wrapped up in a bag with a bow and our printable gift tags, they’ll look as jolly as they’ll taste.

(Gluten-free + dairy-free + vegan + paleo approved!)

• GET THE MAPLE CANDIED PECANS RECIPE + OUR PRINTABLE GIFT TAGS HERE.

11. GLUTEN-FREE PEPPERMINT BROWNIES

If you really want to aim high, make our gluten-free peppermint brownies! Ooey, gooey, fudgy brownies infused with peppermint all the way through, they’ll a crowd pleaser every time! Cut them into small squares to add to cookie plates or cut into big squares and deliver with a pint of peppermint ice cream!

• GET OUR PEPPERMINT BROWNIE RECIPE HERE

12. (HEALTHIER!) NO-BAKE CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BARS.

Peanut butter + chocolate are such a classic combination that most people can’t resist! Cut into little squares, these chocolatey, peanut buttery goodies are a delightful addition to a holiday treat plate. (You can also make them with other nut butters, so feel free to adapt if you have a peanut allergy!)

• GET OUR CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BARS RECIPE HERE.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE HOMEMADE HOLIDAY GIFT?
I’D LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT IT! 

PS – LOOKING FOR MORE HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS? YOU MIGHT LIKE:

• Fun Stocking Stuffers For Kids
• Stocking Stuffers For Him & Her
• Our Favorite Christmas Picture Books
• Self-Care Gifts For Every Budget
• Our Small Business Gift Guide
• The Under $20 Gift Guide
• Our Favorite Family Games