Make the spirit of Christmas giving extra special this year with handmade decorations and a handcrafted gift straight from the heart.
These DIY ideas are not only super simple and affordable, but can add a more personal touch for your loved ones this Christmas.
1. Hand-made Christmas Cards
Christmas cards can be incredibly expensive, difficult to find with the right message and are often just thrown away after Christmas has ended; so, why not make your own? All you need is some craft or recycled card, envelopes, some cute decorations and something to fix them with. If you want to avoid glue, you can use thin, pliable wire to thread through the decor on the front of the card, or simply hand paint your cards yourself!
2. Gift Wrapping the Goods!
What makes the perfect gift extra special? Gift wrap of course! Even the simplest of gifts can be made luxurious with the art of gift wrapping (some say it’s a skill!) All you need is some quality wrapping paper, twine or colourful string, some cute gift tags and a bow for decoration. You can even attempt to paint or draw on your gift wrap, add sprigs of seasonal flowers or foliage (the more fragrant the better), or add some small Christmas decorations for a truly bespoke creation.
3. Fragrant Delights
Christmas is the time to bring out the fragrant spices and warming scents. Candles are a simple yet highly effective gift that can be handmade in your very own home with natural ingredients. Their fragrances can be tailored to the recipient, making the ultimate personalised gift. All you need is some natural organic wax (such as soy, coconut or beeswax), organic uncoated cotton or hemp wicks, a glass jar or mould, essential oils for fragrance, and double boiler or pan to melt the wax.
Old tins, mason or candle jars can be reused and up-cycled – just add some twine, string or ribbons with a few sprigs of fresh flowers or some cinnamon sticks for decoration. You can also add dried fruit or flowers into the candle for added fragrance or for decoration. The perfect handmade gift!
4. Christmas Decorations
There’s nothing more special than hand-crafted Christmas decorations to brighten up your home. Making Christmas decorations is one of the best ways to get into the Christmas spirit and can be a great activity to get the kids involved in. From salt-dough ornaments to hang on the tree, cute natural felt characters tied up with string, festive garlands, to recycled paper chains and streamers. There are so many ways to make your own decorations – especially by up-cycling, reusing and re-loving old ones. These are the types of decorations that you either keep forever or can dispose of responsibly without the guilt!
5. Christmas Wreath
Give your guests a warming entrance into your home with a hand-made wreath. With some pliable wire and fresh flowers you can create the most spectacular of door wreaths at minimum cost. Woody plants make for a longer-lasting wreath, but fresh flowers can be added and replaced to keep your wreath looking colourful and fresh all Christmas. Collect flowers from your garden or even liberate some from the local flora around you – just make sure you know what you are picking, poisonous plants aren’t very welcoming at all!
6. Christmas Stockings and Santa Sacks
Don’t want the mess of gift wrapping this Christmas? Why not opt for reusable and personable Christmas stockings instead. Whether you’ve got a knack for crochet, a good hand at the sewing machine or you’re happier reusing and up-cycling an old stocking, you can make festive Christmas stockings for all your friends and family in no time at all. Personalise with your loved ones’ names, pompoms, googly eyes or sprigs of festive flowers to make for a more adult-friendly stocking.
7. Christmas Crackers or Bon Bons
There’s nothing more exciting than sitting around the table for Christmas dinner and sharing a bon bon with the person next to you. Conventional bon bons contain lots of single use plastic that ends up where it shouldn’t, so why not make your own. All you need is some colourful paper, cardboard tubes, some string or bows to tie them up, and some small useful and eco-friendly gifts to place inside. If you still want to include a ‘snap’ you can buy cracker or bon bon snaps online but they can be just as fun without. Make sure you use recyclable materials to ensure there is minimal wastage afterwards. For the fillings, you can let your imagination run wild; from packets of seeds, tea bags, tealight candles, to chocolate truffles and hand made trinkets. The possibilities are endless!
8. Bath Bombs & Salts
Who wouldn’t be happy to receive a gift that screams “me time”?! Bath bombs and bath salts are the perfect gift for that special someone who needs some downtime these Christmas holidays (even if that’s yourself!) Bath bombs can be made naturally with a few simple ingredients, namely; baking soda, citric acid, epsom salt, cornstarch, coconut oil and your favourite essential oils. You can buy special moulds to make them into any shape or size you like (the Christmassy the better!) and can add natural colourings to make for a more interesting bath time.
9. Sweet Treats
Whether you want to gift them, serve them to your guests or devour them yourself, delicious sweet treats are simple to make and will get you the best compliments of them all. From decadent chocolate truffles (with a touch of alcohol for the adults!), jelly fruit sweets, Christmas pudding or fruit cake, to homemade gingerbread cookies, the list of sweet treats and snacks is endless. Gift wrapped in brown paper and tied with string, sweet treats make for luxurious gifts straight from the heart.
10. DIY Advent Calendar
Advent calendars are the best part of December! Kids love opening each door to find a little secret behind it but these treats can be more than just chocolate. By making your own advent calendar, you can choose exactly what gifts are behind each door. From beauty products, candles, bath bombs and cosmetics to toys, gadgets, seeds, teabags and gift vouchers, DIY calendars can make for a healthier, more eco-friendly advent. Whether you opt for a material calendar with pockets or a boxed wooden calendar, you can reuse them each year and even have enough room to squeeze a little something extra into each day.
However you decide to spend your Christmas, make sure you buy local, sustainable, organic and make your day as eco-friendly as possible. Merry Christmas!
