Question

This is a little early - okay 6 months early - but what are some ideas for Christmas gifts/DIY gifts? Let's start a thread below.  

Answer 1

I’m planning on coming up with some family experience boxes. Based on the fun nights we have had as a family recently. Make bunting, provide recipes, instructions and a plan for a family night in. Choose a theme Eg pizza party.  

Comments

@himation  That's a cute idea. Maybe a gift box with a recipe and the ingredients. I could do this for my cousin. She is a young, married woman in college. Maybe something quick and easy. Idk. I'll keep this idea around. Last year I regifted brand new copies of Alice in wonderland and Harry Potter philosophy. I had nor ever read them, but intended to. And secretly wanted them for myself, but she is a Potterhead for Life ♡ and an Engliah major so I knew she would enjoy them more.  

Answer 2

Honestly, it’s never too early to begin planning for Christmas! My mom would always start buying presents in July so by the time Christmas came around, she was done. Just had to focus on dinner!  

Comments

@cliquish That’s how I do it too!  

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@studbook For me, I honestly make a list of everyone I want to buy presents for and things they like. I begin buying things that I see where I think “oh, they’d love that” whether it’s a keychain or socks or something else. Hide it away until it’s time to wrap. Then I get super excited and want to tell them as soon as it’s wrapped.  

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@cliquish I used to do this too and although, I did end up with a lot of gifts, it got expensive. I want to focus on one thing this year and have that be something my family member really enjoys, or needed, etc.  

Answer 3

I've been using my fetch rewards to save up for something my MIL commented she wanted from Amazon.  

Comments

@rifle yes ! I use shop kick as well! I have a 50$ gift card in my account waiting for Christmas!  

Answer 4

I'm a crafter, and im planning on making homemade vanilla, apple pie shots, crocheted or knitted potholders, sugar scrubs. Things like that

Comments

Apple pie shots? Do you have a recipe?  

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That sounds *amazing! *

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@phina id have to search for it (had a housefire and dunno if I backed the recipe up), but it's pretty easy. It involves everclear, Apple juice, and a lot of time lol. When left to sit for a bit, it is smooth as silk :)

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@phina you're/I'm in luck! I found it. I'll pm you the recipe

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@pompidou is this your recipe?  

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@rude543 close. The sugar is doubled, and its 8 cinnamon sticks. But yup

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@pompidou oh please do! That sounds delightful! ♥️

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@phina did you get it?  

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@phina I'm not sure how my messenger is set up, so hopefully you got it. If not the recipe above is it, with the 2 changes I noted

Answer 5

So here is what I have been thinking. I, too, use Fetch and will save up as many points so I can get an Amazon gift card between now and Christmas. That alone will be a gift, or I will purchase a gift with it. My budget is $1, 000, but I want to purchase as little as I can, make as much as I can, or gift something incredibly useful. I have 14 people to make or buy a gift for, ranging in age from 2 years to 82 years. I like things that are not junk and multipurpose and useful. I am going to start a savings account for my 2-year old niece and place $25 in it. My mom does her nails at home, so any really neat nail kits you folks can think of? My SO's family is more difficult to purchase for. I am always at a loss. Any ideas?  

Comments

For my in laws, I was big into photo gifts of the whole family. I take pictures all year long with Christmas gifts in mind (calendars, photo collage, pillows, blankets). They are always well received. I make sure I get one of siblings alone, together, with their significant others, with the parents, a whole family shot. I get 'em all. Lol Sometimes I use all sometimes just one or two.  

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@phina re:nail kit look for Miko’s article on the nail kit she uses.  

Answer 6

As of now I am making my 12 yr old daughter a scrapbook of her dance performance and Actives leading up till Christmas. For her 13 th birthday in Jan I made a scrapbook of all her birthdays

Answer 7

We are planning on putting together soup mixes in mason jars. We will make a couple different "recipes" and then I will design and print nice instruction tags on cardstock and use ribbon we already have to make them festive. We already have the jars, and the ingredients (dry pasta, lentils, dry beans, bouillon, etc) we will buy in bulk fairly inexpensively when it gets closer.  

Answer 8

Vintage thrifted items.  

Comments

@trilinear7274 I do this often. ♡

Answer 9

Give ChristMASKS. :( No. Just no.  

Answer 10

This is SO not too early! I feel like I wanted to start a month ago!  

Answer 11

This thread needs to be pinned, and kept at the top till Christmas!  

Answer 12

I like doing DIY gifts like body scrubs especially. They’re easy to make.  

Comments

@lilas6 how you do it?  

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@francenefrances56 I also do a simple one just mix 1 cup sugar with 1/2 cup coconut oil. You can add more oil just depends on consistency that you like. For Christmas I add 10-15 drops of peppermint oil but you can use any essential oil.  

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@lilas6 that's beautiful

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@lilas6 awesome! thanks!  

Answer 13

We don’t often do a ton of gifts outside of immediate family - husband and myself, our son - but we usually do a big batch of spiced pecans and hand those out. I’m thinking about doing homemade vanilla and scrubs for a few special people too.  

Answer 14

Our kids are all grown and almost all married, and 4 grandkids. We have rented a large cottage for almost 5 years. That's our gift to them. We give each couple a dinner gift card at Christmas and the grandkids get pyjamas, a book and a toy(they are aged 1-4). This year I plan to crochet their favourite animals instead of buying a toy.  

Comments

I ♡ this idea. I'm not crafty enough to crochet, but I sew and am a Glue Gun Mistress so I can whip up crafts pretty easy. But I love the idea of not purchasing items. I have always been like this. I genuinely want the item I give to be useful, or spark joy, and really have no packaging to end up in a landfill.  

Answer 15

6 months turns into 6 days REAL QUICK!  

Answer 16

Home made spice rubs. I made chocolate spice rub for meat and poultry to give at Christmas. I’m still using the extra one I made for myself. I use it for pulled pork. We call it ‘chocolate pork’. It is totally a thing.  

Answer 17

In the past we have done movie boxes (Redbox gift card, popcorn, popcorn bags and assorted theater candy). We’ve done ice cream sundae boxes (diy ice cream container, all the toppings, bowls and spoons). Family game night - assorted games, candy, popcorn - super easy to make from five below and dollar tree. Body scrub kits for the women - loofah and assorted homemade salt scrubs. This year we’re doing assorted homemade breads with homemade jams, I’m also making vanilla (or vanilla bourbon) extract.  

Answer 18

A family trip to St. Louis to visit the new baby?  

Comments

@interlace she won't be a baby anymore by Christmas! ♡

Answer 19

We do a home made gift of some description for siblings . We have done body scrubs , bath bombs , last year we did homemade vanilla , we have done personalized ornaments. For our children we use the 4 gift rule : Something you want exp: last year it was season passes to the amusement park ( not doing us much good ), but generally things they have been wanting through out the year Something you need : could be shoes , a coat , new clothes , snow boots , ect Something to wear : they always get a Christmas Eve box with some treats , new PJs for Christmas morning , and a new movie Something to read : last year it was The Hobbit series , The Lion , Witch and the Wardrobe series and some Nancy Drew books . Otherwise they all get a stocking , it has a new ornament for the year , treats and usually things I get free or super cheap throughout the year. Like a special lotion , toothbrush, flossers, underwear, socks ect. We then do 1-2 new family board games . Since I have an idea of what I’m doing each year , I buy through the year . Last year we budgeted $150 per child I shopped all year . Parents , I do reward sites throughout the year and do movie and restaurant gcs . And usually some type of photo item of our family .  

Comments

@mystagogue  

Answer 20

Well I really want a cast iron skillet. Lol

Answer 21

One of my favorite homemade gifts was a 'fancy' list of birthdates hand printed on pretty paper and laminated with a magnet for the fridge. easy pretty and useful for the entire family.  

Answer 22

It is not too early. I was furloughed on March 14th, and have almost all my Christmas gifts made. I quilt and took the time off to work in my sewing room and get them all made. Next week I spend all my new time quilting them. Then I will box, address, and store until closer to Christmas and mail.  

Comments

Wonderful! My Grandma made each of her grand and great grandkids a quilt over the span of her lifetime. I still have mine. It is by FAR the softest and best gift I have ever been given. <3 Great idea!  

Answer 23

We made snow globes for the family last winter with a photo of our daughter super easy cheap and i bought all the supplies on Amazon

Answer 24

I love to make candles for Christmas! I've also done homemade candy and thats always a hit. Blueberry jam is easy and cute. Like others have said sugar scrubs and bath bombs are fun. I want to try soap this year maybe! Since we are on the subject, i just don't know what to do for my boyfriends nephews. Every year i spend more than i want on presents that they ultimately throw down in disappointment immediately upon opening. They have everything. I got them matching sleeping bags one year and they audibly said "awwe" like really sad. They arent bad or mean kids they are just well off  any suggestions for them? They are like 5 and 7 or 8 i believe. They have literally everything. I was thinking about buying them a star. But maybe that sucks too! Im usually so good with kids but all the kids i know are lower middle class and dont have every single thing. I can always find a book or a toy they dont have yet at least. Thoughts?  

Comments

@ics maybe ask their parents what something they would like is. Or get the a gift card to a trampoline park that they could go to one weekend when it’s too cold to go outside or something.  

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@lammergeier i love the trampoline park idea! Last year their parents said to get them legos. Which is pretty normal but i think they may have told everyone to get them legos and the boys were not too excited with the sets  they may have been sick of opening legos at that point honestly. They are difficult to impress!  

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@ics my nephews where the same way! I just got to where I asked them themselves what they wanted. They pretty much knew what they were getting but at least we all knew they would like it lol we took them to a trampoline park here and they loved it! They are older now but when they were younger that’s all they wanted to do!  

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@lammergeier they live pretty far away so we dont really see them too often. I think a day out together with eachother and their parents is perfect. I dont love buying toys for kids anyways because i dont know many children that dont have a flood of toys already!  

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@ics absolutely! And it turns out to be cheaper once you think about it bc it’s one gift for both of them!  

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@lammergeier thank you so much! Im definitely going to do this!  

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@ics welcome!  

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Def activity for kids! What a great idea @lammergeier! I will have to keep that in mind as well!  

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@phina it’s a favorite for us! Especially with toys getting more and more expensive!  

Answer 25

This year we are starting a new frugal way of giving $50 for each one of us to buy supplies or the present we feel our secret santa will be happy to receive

Comments

I have always wanted to do Secret Santa. Unfortunately in years past more extended relatives didn't want to do this. I may suggest this again this year. Great idea!  

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Last year I suggested that my Grandma, my mom, and myself - instead of gifting to one another - we either share an Angel from the Angel Tree [a Salvation Army project in which kids and families request items, write them on a cut out angel, and hang on a Salvation Army christmas tree around town, families pick these up and buy the items and then donate], or we go get angels from our community agency. This community agency was geared to our Hope House [for kids in Shawnees foster community] and towards older adults in our retirement/disability community. I like this idea so much better than actually having gifts given to me. I have a difficult time receiving gifts. It feels awkward and really affects my mental health negatively.  

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@phina we were Santa helpers last December and drove around our city delivering the items people bought for these families

Answer 26

Never to early! I’ve been saving/finding stuff for over a month! We got this free kitchen and I’m redoing it

Comments

I did this last year for my niece. :) She is old enough to enjoy it now, but she *loves* it. She'll be 3 this year. *lol* I thought she was 2. The year before last I bought her a dollhouse. It was cheaper and Fisher Price. She really enjoys that. Heck, I'm a 35 year old person and have a dollhouse! Cute idea! <3

Answer 27

First off, is your name really @phina? If so, that is awesome! I thrift shop, hopefully they open before Christmas. I also do cookie tins for relatives I am not too close with. The kids I kinda go a little crazy. But am trying not to so much since I see all the toys they don't play with.  

Comments

I do cookie tins as well. I usually just serve them under plastic wrap and on a thrifted Christmas plate. :) I do chocolate chip cookies, lavender and lemon white cookies, and gingerbread. <3

Answer 28

I’m thinking of getting a kit to make candles for Christmas gifts! Doubles as a date night activity for my wife and I to make them together.  

Answer 29

I was thinking of buying everyone a toothbrush. Who knows if they remember to change it.  But really. Can't wait to see some ideas.  

Comments

I always put a toothbrush in the stockings. <3

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My mom buys everyone pillows every year. No longer necessary to remember how long we've had that pillow!  

Answer 30

I generally rotate who gets the big craft such as scarf for dad one year, nice knitted mittens for mom the next, Brandon likes hats, nick always needs gloves. and so I rotate that to not get bogged down. My husband gets a hat every other year, he seems to lose them. Other than those, I normally do consumables whether fudge, spice mixes, or sugar scrubs. Sometimes soaps. For my grandparents every so often I will get a regular wall calendar write in birthdays and memories.  

Comments

Spices are SUCH a good idea! We have a local Mediterranean grocer/import in the city. I think I just found out what I am going to give my sister and her husband. <3 Great idea!  

Answer 31

No such thing as too early!  

Comments

Boy howdy, don't you know it! I like to have things planned. I am a planning kind of girl. *lol* It causes me anxiety and stress if I don't have these things figured out. Plus, it blows the budget OUT OF THE WATER.  

Answer 32

Make your own vanilla and give these in pretty jars as gifts! Everclear+ vanilla beans in a jar, start it now and you'll be ready for the holidays. Lots of guides online ❤

Answer 33

I was thinking of doing a wood bathtub shelf for each of the women with maybe a homemade bath bomb and/or scrub or doing a homemade trivet with a beautiful tile and a wood frame - my grandparents did these as gifts 40+years ago and I have the one given to my parents and love it! I also like to give a pretty houseplant. Men are harder for me to come up with homemade ideas.  

Comments

Something like this

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Or like this

Answer 34

Essential oil foaming hand soap. Or other essential items like roller blends, bath bombs, scrubs