14 Easy DIY Christmas Gifts You Can Make at Home

This year you may be looking for an alternative to store-bought gifts. Maybe you’d like to try making something but you’re not sure where to start. Maybe you’ve tried making things in the past and they were too complicated or didn’t turn out.

We understand that pain, which is why we put together a list of easy and simple DIY Christmas gifts. You may not want to try everything on the list, but hopefully one or two will inspire you to make some Christmas magic of your own.

We’ve rounded up a collection of our best DIY Christmas gift ideas and arranged them here so you can turn this Christmas into a MAKER Christmas!

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1. Beeswax Candles

The first idea for DIY Christmas gifts is beeswax candles. They’re pretty simple to make, they’re eco-friendly, they smell great without any additives and they’re COMPLETELY natural!

So if you want an easy gift you can make for Christmas for your friend who only likes natural things, you’ve got a perfect idea.

It can also be a great teacher gift, stocking stuffer, or a keep-at-your-home and make the holidays have an extra lovely warm glow.

2. A Charcuterie Board

OK. Who doesn’t like snacks? I dare you to find that person!

Also, who doesn’t love eating especially during the holidays? This holiday season if you’re looking for a really fun food idea, you could try your hand at charcuterie. In a guest post, our friend Rachel from Arlia Board Co. shared some of her secrets about how to make a good charcuterie board. If you’re in the Washington D.C. area, you can also purchase her one-of-a-kind boards for your own snacking!

3. Homemade Tomato Sauce

Ever want to try to make your own homemade tomato sauce? Ever think about canning? Imagine giving someone the gift of the taste of summer in the middle of a blizzard!

Whether you want to make a delicious holiday meal, or you want to jar some and share with friends as a gift, we have a guide that teaches you how to make homemade tomato sauce (from scratch!!).

4. Melt and Pour Soap For Kids

What about something for the kids? Want to encourage your kids to wash their hands? Looking for a fun stocking stuffer?

Why not try making homemade melt and pour soup for your kids! There are THREE different DIY soap ideas in our guide so you can choose the one that you think would work best for the kid or kids in your life!

Melt n pour soaps are about the easiest type of soap you can make but you still have the freedom to add scents, colors, and designs!

5. Crayon LEGO Minifigures

Another fun DIY stocking stuffer ideas is crayon LEGO Minifigures. If you’re like us you probably have a box of broken worn down crayons that need a purpose. Turn them into something new with a silicone mold!

If your kids aren’t into legos, you can use other molds that are more suited to their interests.

6. Send Cards to Nursing Homes

There are some people in our lives that we may not be able to visit with this holiday season. Those people in personal care homes are being protected from Covid-19 and that means visiting restrictions in many areas. While an in person visit is irreplaceable, one thing you can do in the mean time is send a homemade card. I love the idea of homemade cards for anyone but I think this one is especially important this year.

7. Upcycle a Piece of Furniture

Another really fun thing you can do for a DIY Christmas present is upcycle a piece of furniture. I will admit this isn’t the easiest DIY project on the list, but it is easier than you probably think. It may be a bit time consuming, but each step is pretty simple. We have a guide and a video to help you work through the project above.

8. A Mountain Coat Rack

Looking for another woodworking project? How about this mountain range coat rack?

Part of the reason I like this project so much is that it’s a very easy woodworking project (I did it with limited woodworking experience). I also like it because it uses scrap wood that was already lying around the woodshop. Plus, I love mountains! 🙂

9. Unicorn Ornaments

Looking for a fun ornament idea? How about a UNICORN DIY Christmas ornament. Unicorns have been popular for a loooong time and I feel like they’re staying strong.

This is a fun project you can do with your kids and they can keep it for your tree or gift it to a friend.

10. Easy Crochet Dishcloths

Want to try your hand at crocheting? Already a crocheting master?

Try out these easy crocheted dishcloths. They make really great Christmas gifts or stocking stuffers and they’re an easy DIY Christmas gift. Even if you’re brand new to crocheting, you can make a crocheted dishcloth.

We use this same design in our family, I’ve sold dishcloths made with this design, and I’ve only ever had positive reviews of it. Once you start using crochet dishcloths, you really won’t want to use anything else.

11. Homemade Wrapping Paper Upcycle Project

Do you shop at Aldi? Do you have paper bags from the grocery store? Did you know you can turn them into your very own DIY Christmas wrapping paper?

This is a fun project you can do with your kids. You can have that really pretty brown paper packaging look that’s so popular and you can do it with *free* materials. Plus its 100% unique. There won’t be one other person in the world with the same exact wrapping paper as you.

Don’t you want to be an individual? An individual that — cares about the environment?? 🙂

12. Shea Butter Balm

My hands get so chapped over the winter and I’ve used a LOT of different lotions and creams trying to help my poor dry hands. I made this Shea Butter Balm at an essential oil make-and-take party and fell in love with it. I love a good DIY, and I also love not having hands that hurt in the winter.

When you make these you’ll have enough for you and for your friends, families, loved ones, kids’ teachers, or anyone else you know who loves having non-chapped-winter-hands.

Oh, and you can add essential oils that you like!

13. Make Handmade Pegdolls

My kids are very big fans of pegdolls, and you can make your very own with a blank pegdolls and some paint. My ultimate guide to pegdolls will teach you everything I know about making pegdolls, what materials I recommend, and where to source materials. They’re just about the cutest thing, and you can even buy or make horses and vehicles to go with them.

14. Mermaid Art Canvas (Using Buttons and a Cricut)

Here’s a guide showing you how you can make a DIY Mermaid Art Canvas with Buttons. I used my Cricut to make the lettering, but you don’t need to have a Cricut to make this project. You can do the lettering yourself or purchase a stencil if you’re interested in putting some kind of phrase on it.

My favorite part about this art piece is the buttons. I sort of love the 3D texture that you get from adding buttons to art.

If you’re looking for more button-art inspiration, I suggest checking out Naptime Buttons on Instagram. I love her button creations!

15. Felt Board for Kids

Another fun DIY Christmas gift idea for kids is a felt board. This is a simple concept with many many options. You can create dress-up dolls, favorite characters, bible stories, barnyards, or forests. There really are so many possibilities. This guide will teach you how to make the felt board and how you can mount it to the wall.

Bonus #1: Make Homemade Vanilla Extract

Want a gift that’s easy, practical, and tasty? How about some homemade vanilla extract. Make some for you, your friends, and your family members! I really like the glass bottles I found for these to make them easy to pour into your favorite recipes.

Bonus #2: Hand-Dipped Beeswax Candles

Hand-dipped beeswax candles are one of my favorite homemade items I’ve ever made. You need some patience for this project but it’s just SO satisfying to make your own taper candles. My friend (also named Hannah) and I spent a whole day making these and didn’t mind the time spent on it one bit. If you have bees or access to a beekeeper, you might also be interested in learning how to render your own beeswax.

Bonus #3: Make a Dried Citrus Wreath

Last year I got my Excalibur dehydrator and dried a bunch of citrus: orange, grapefruit, lemon, and lime. Personally, I think the oranges and the grapefruit turned out the best. They seem to hold their original color better than lemons and limes.

Once that was finished, I decided to try my hand at making a wreath and I LOVE how it turned out! If you want to make one too, you can with my guide to making a dried citrus wreath! Need to know how to dry citrus first? I can help with that too 🙂

What’s On Your DIY Christmas Gift List?

We hope you enjoyed this list of easy DIY Christmas gifts. Now we want to hear from you. What gifts have you made that you loved? What has been a big hit, or what did you enjoy making? We’d love to learn from you about great Christmas gift ideas!

As always, keep making!