{This post may contain affiliate links. You can read our Disclosure Policy HERE.}

Great Homemade Gifts for Any Time of the Year

Does Christmas stress you out? I completely understand! Last year we decided to say “NO” to a lot of the business of the holidays and focus on what is truly important to us as a family. We wanted to go back to how Christmas used to be. To have an “Old-Fashioned Christmas.”

This Christmas season we are excited to continue this tradition. What do I mean when I say “old-fashioned Christmas? For us, that means keeping family traditions alive, as well as creating some new ones. We want to simplify our season and focus on what is important for our family. You can plan out your very own Old-Fashion Christmas Season and see what else we did last year to simplify the season and focus on traditions. Read about it here->Ideas for Planning and Celebrating an Old-Fashioned Tradition Filled Christmas. This post is going to give you a huge list of unique Homemade Gift ideas that you can share with your loved ones.

Pin For Later

Why Make Homemade Gifts

Making and giving homemade gifts is a great way to go back to an old-fashioned Christmas. In fact, I think it is about as Old-fashioned as you can get. Below I will share some unique homemade gifts you may not have thought of before. Gifts from the kitchen, for the home, for the body, handmade with love, easy woodworking, projects for kits, and gifts from the farm.

This year, I read the entire Little House on the Prairie Series. This is such a great series that is not only fun to read but chalked full of great information on how the pioneers used to live. One thing that always struck me in each of the books was how simple their Christmas was. They would make small gifts for each person with scraps of leftovers. Those small homemade gifts made with scraps were made with love and became cherished treasures.

How different that Christmas is from how most of us celebrate now. It’s all about giving and having all the things. We are blessed to have so much! But at the same time, all the store-bought items do not have the same pride and love that goes into them. It’s mass-produced and unoriginal, most of the time.

I was raised in a family that always tried to give some kind of item that they made, to each family for Christmas. It was a small way to show love without having to purchase gifts for everyone. A lot of time they were decorations or useful items that a person was making for themselves and wanted to share. I guess this tradition stuck with me. Every year I try to give a homemade item to share with those we love.

This list could go on forever. There are so many great homemade gifts you can make no matter what your skill set is. Be creative and make gifts that you yourself would love.  These are simply some homemade gifts I have made or ones that I think are easy and more unique. Some of these are not homemade, such as the Foaming Handsoap, but it is a gift that you can give and can be refilled several times.

Here are a few homemade gifts we have made or would like to. I think some might be new to you or surprise you.

 

From Your Kitchen

Canned Goods!

This is one of our go-to gifts because it always shows that you care. Sharing something that you have made, love, and can’t get anywhere else.

Canning has become part of our lifestyle and we are always making something. Show that you care but sharing some of your favorite canned items.

Some of our favorite Canned Goods to Share:

Maple Syrup– Learn how to tap and make your own maple syrup here —> Maple Syrup Making: How to Tap into this Valuable Resource

Jams & Jellies– This Strawberry Jam recipe is my favorite!

Apple Butter- We usually use the Apple Butter Recipe from the Put’em Up Cookbook, which we LOVE. But, this recipe for Spiced Apple Butter with Maple Syrup also sounds amazing.

Salsa– No more store-bought salsa for us. This salsa recipe from Mel’s Kitchen is thick and delicious.

Corn Cob Jelly– this stuff tastes like honey. Corn Cob Jelly Recipe.

Orange Marmalade

I shared this Orange Marmalade recipe a few years back. It was a really fun one to make and share. Anything with marmalade at the end sounds like a treat worth sharing.

Our younger kids love ABC Mouse! Click below to get a great deal on this fun, educational app for ages 4-8.

1 Year of ABCmouse for $59.9!

Vanilla Extract

Homemade Vanilla Extract is really easy to make. All it takes is 10-15 vanilla beans and a bottle of Vodka or Bourbon. The worst part of making vanilla is the time. Ideally, this mixture needs to sit for 5-8 months and be shaken regularly.

If you are like me and love the idea of giving Homemade Vanilla Extract as a Gift, but do not have enough time, fear not. I heard it tastes great when you make it in the Instapot. Vanilla Extra in the Instapot from Heavenly Homemakers.

Pour into cute little bottle jars (like this one) and give to friends and family. Who wouldn’t love that?

One of my favorite homesteaders, Aunt Mickey, gave me a cute bottle of this and I have been loving it all year long.

Homemade Bread & Butter

Some of my Favorite Bread recipes:

Easy Homemade Bread from Butter with a Side of Bread

Softest Ever Bread Machine Bread

Simple Whole Wheat Bread

Crusty Dutch Oven Bread from The Prairie Homestead Cookbook. I LOVE this recipe and I love this cookbook! I look at this cookbook weekly.

Easy No-Knead Artisan Bread by Melissa K Noris.

Make it extra special by bringing along some homemade butter.

How to make butter in a blender– all you need is heavy whipping cream and a blender. Make sure you rinse out the butter really well, that’s the key. You could even add seasonings or fruit to this butter. Yum!

Christmas Cookies

You can’t go wrong making and sharing cookies! Especially cookies that are important and special to you. My Norwegian Grandmother always made Rosettes and I am happy to make them every year with our family and share them with friends and family. Learn how to make Rosettes here.

Kiwi Co. has the BEST Education Subscription Boxes around. ALL our kids LOVE THem.
You can read my honest review of  4 different Kiwi Co. Subscription Boxes HERE.
Now is a great time to buy!  

Gifts Under $20 at the KiwiCo Store!

For the Home

Homemade foaming soap kit

I originally found this recipe from Farmhouse Boone and fell in love with it. This is the handsoap we have in each of our bathrooms. I think that putting all these ingredients in a gift bag and sharing the recipe would make a great gift. It would be the gift that keeps on giving because this will last most people a year if they continue to refill it.

What you’ll need to purchase: Foaming Soap Dispensers (4-pack), Castile Soap (I like Dr. Bronner’s), a bottle of essential oil for extra scent, and then a small bottle of carrier oil to add extra moisture and help the longevity of the bottle (almond oil, tea tree oil, baby oil, apricot kernel oil, etc.).

How To Make The Soap: Fill the foaming soap dispenser with 2/3rds full of cold water. Add 3 drops of almond oil, then fill the rest with castile soap. You can add essential oils to this if you would like.

For Christmas, I like the smell of Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint with peppermint essential oil. Spring: Dr. Bronner’s Lavender with orange or lemon essential oil, or get Dr. Bronner’s Unscented and you can add any kind of scented oils you would like. You can find Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap at Walmart or Target too.

Stovetop potpourri

Stovetop Potpourri looks BEAUTIFUL in a clear bag tied with some ribbon! Toss in a whole orange or lemon that the recipient can slice on their own. Cranberries, freshly cut evergreen sprigs, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and allspice are some of my favorite ingredients to add.

Flavour and Savor has a cute printable to go along with this —>Simmering Holiday Potpourri.

Homemade Candles

If you know any local beekeepers, contact them to see if you can get some beeswax. It will typically be cheaper and you are supporting a local business.

Beeswax Candles- here is a video tutorial here.

Here is a really affordable starter kit. This one does not include the wax but has the supplies for any kind of candle making.

Reuseable Beeswax Food Wraps

 DIY Mommy has a great video and I also liked this simple video from The Homestead Family where her 2 daughters help make them

Infused Vinegar for Homemade Cleaning Supplies

Vinegar is a wonderful natural multi-purpose cleaner that you can make at home. When you pour vinegar over orange or lemon peels it really boosts the scent but also the cleaning strength. This year I combined lilac flowers with orange peels. It was so pretty and smelled great. Let it sit for 2 weeks and then strain out the peels.

Put orange or lemon peels in a quart mason jar. Pour white vinegar over the top leaving 1-inch headspace. Let sit in a cool dark place for 2 weeks. Strain out the orange peels. Save the scented vinegar in a mason jar with a top.

Add 1 cup water and 1 cup scented vinegar to a spray bottle to make this simple cleaner.

I think this would be a great homemade gift to share.

For the Body

I made this body butter a few years back. It smelled so nice and has a good texture. It is a little oily feeling on your skin. But, it worked really well!

White Chocolate Whipped Body Butter from Prairie Homestead

Homemade with Love

Heatable Rice bags or Cold Therapy bag

Here is an easy sewing project for any skill level. I am not a sewing expert by any means, but I can do a straight stitch. Last year I made these and gave them to the family. Make sure you buy 100% cotton fabric along with 100% cotton thread otherwise it might burn in the microwave. Jasmine rice is a little more expensive but it has a really nice scent to it.

Here is a video tutorial on how to make them. This is basically what I did. The sound quality is not the best but I prefer my bags to not be sectioned off.

Easy Projects for Kids to Make

Christmas Cookies

Some of our kid’s favorites

• Christmas Candy Cane Cookies
• Cutout Cookies
• Gingerbread Cookies
• Peanut Butter Blossoms

Birdseed Ornaments

Cookie Cutter Birdseed Ornaments by The House and The Homestead

Beeswax  rolling candles

We made some Beeswax Rolled candles this year. Great for little hands. I love the addition of lace, dried flowers, and orange slices. So cute!! Read the full tutorial of how to make them here —–> How to Make Beeswax Candle Sheets (Using a Mold) and Beewax Rolled Candles.

The kit above is adorable but I have a lot of kids and wanted more beeswax sheets. I purchased this Beeswax Sheet Mold that makes 2 sheets and can be reused. Hope it works out.

Salt Dough Ornaments

For each of my children, I have made Salt Dough Santa Handprint Ornaments as a keepsake and to hang on the tree. They are adorable! The dough makes extra and we then use a rolling pin and cookie cutters to make our own ornaments. The kids always love this. One year we gave family remembers a small box of handmade ornaments from the kids. I think this would be another great homemade gift that even the smallest kids can help with.

Easy Woodworking

My husband is the woodworker in our household. He is not an expert but can be really crafty when it comes to certain things. Our family enjoys playing lawn games and camping so homemade yard games are always an easy one to make and share. Here are a few easy lawn games to make.

Koob or kub- A Viking toss game. DIY Koob (Best Lawn Game Ever)

Giant Lawn Jenga- How to Make a Giant Backyard Jenga Game

From the Homestead

Eggs

If you have chickens and have extra eggs during the winter months, this is a great gift! I love giving our neighbors and friends a dozen eggs when we have a surplus.

Maple Syrup

This one was also listed above but I thought it also fit under farm products too. This is the first year that I made a label for our maple syrup. Nothing too fancy but I like it. I created the label to fit Avery 2 inch by 4-inch labels.

ModCloth: Your Next Fave Fashion Era – Shop Mid-Century Fashion Styles

Make something special for those that you love

I hope you got a few homemade gift ideas that you could give this season. Think of your own unique talents and make something that you would love to receive. I know whoever receives it will love it!

What are some homemade items you gifted to others? I would love to hear them below. 

Save this Pin

 

More Ideas for Celebrating an Old-Fashioned Christmas:

Plan and Celebrate an Old-Fashioned Christmas (Free Planning Sheet)
Throw a Christmas Decorating Party
Make Your Own Old Fashioned Popcorn Christmas Garland with Dried Oranges & Cranberries
Rosettes- A Scandinavian Cookie Tradition

Other ideas I am hoping to add here are: Beeswaxed Rolled Christmas Candles, Homemade Eggnog, and Caroling.

You may also like Homesteaders Christmas Ideas- Kitchen Edition, Gift Guide for the Country Women, and Stocking Stuffers for the Entire Family.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see how we are celebrating an Old-Fashioned Christmas and what else we are up to. 

Thank you to all of you for following us on this journey. We are truly blessed to live this life and have wonderful people follow along beside us.

-Lindsay from Life on Misty Acres