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Christmas and the holiday season always feel far enough away until, suddenly, it’s the week after Thanksgiving, and you have to find time during the few weekends in December to make it to the mall — only to rush through overcrowded, over-priced, and picked-over stores. 

Of course, there is nothing inherently wrong with store-bought gifts. But how refreshing would it be to slow down this season, escaping the commercialized bustle for a few hours to intentionally create something original with family and loved ones in mind? 

Whether you’re craving an escape from the overproduced supermarket and mall junk, searching for thoughtful, kid-friendly Christmas crafts, shopping for an artsy friend, or wanting to DIY this season but not sure where to start, here is your holiday guide to the perfect homemade and handmade gifts. 

Homemade Treats

Christmas cookies are a staple of the season and a great gift for neighbors or acquaintances. Amid the holiday rush, you may feel like the last thing you have time for is baking, but a quick Google search will reveal dozens of quick and easy recipes for “10-minute easy sugar cookies,” no-bake cookies, “five-minute brownies,” and even easy homemade icing for decorating. Gather your family or invite a group of friends over to decorate cookies and package up holiday goodies you can all give away throughout the month.

If baking is not your thing, you could also try your hand at making some simple holiday candies and snacks to wrap up as stocking stuffers or offer to guests throughout the season. These maple bourbon candied pecans and baked rosemary cashews require only minutes of prep time and are the perfect sweet or savory addition to any gift basket. Classic holiday treats like peppermint bark can also be made at home in a few simple steps and without all the processed ingredients found in the grocery store versions. 

If you’re worried about overwhelming neighbors or friends with baked goods, gifting them what I like to call “ready-to-bake goods” allows them to enjoy holiday treats on their own time. Growing up, my neighbors always dropped off a tray of homemade, unbaked cinnamon rolls with baking instructions (and icing) attached. The rolls were easy to store and — as they were gifted to us already arranged in a baking dish — even easier to pop in the oven first thing on Christmas morning.

My mom has often gifted homemade hot chocolate and pancake mixes to family and church friends during the holiday season. This hot chocolate mix only calls for three ingredients and takes a few minutes to whisk up. This pancake mix similarly only requires flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt — although you can make it your own by including other spices or by substituting gluten-free flour to accommodate allergies. Package the mixes in mason jars and attach cooking instructions with festive ribbon or even paint the jar lids with Christmas-themed designs. You can also include toppings like peppermint, marshmallows, dried fruit, candied nuts, or throw in a small bottle of homemade vanilla extract. 

Handmade Gifts 

While creating for others during the holidays, why not gift yourself a new crafting skill? Over the next few weeks, I plan to try my hand at embroidery and hand-stitch some Christmas-themed tea towels for a few family members. I’ve asked my stitch-savvy friends for advice on how to get started and will be making a quick trip to the craft store for the essentials, including embroidery needles, thread, and an embroidery hoop, as well as a set of plain cotton tea towels (available for under $10 on Amazon). A number of online tutorials demonstrate basic embroidery stitches and beginner-level designs, like this simple Christmas tree pattern. 

Christmas tree embroidery design.

Looking for something a little simpler the whole family can create together? When I was in middle and high school, my church youth group hosted December service projects where we made no-sew, fleece tie blankets to donate to local shelters and ministries. One blanket only requires two pieces of fleece between one yard and two yards each — depending on the size you want to make. (Most craft stores carry a selection of fleece at very affordable price points.) This tutorial shows how to cut the fabric and tie the fleece together to create a double-sided blanket. As a kid, I loved picking out the coordinating colors of fleece and thinking about who might be enjoying the blanket that season. 

If embroidery or blanket-making feels too ambitious but you still want to create something festive this year, making your own Christmas stationary instead of buying the same cliché Hallmark greeting cards may be a good place to start. Grab some cardstock and a few holiday-themed cardmaking stamp sets and have fun creating an original design before mailing season’s greetings to family and friends. 

Making some of your own Christmas décor can also be a way to ease into crafting this season while saving time and money. Social media feeds and YouTube are full of simple DIY ornament, garland, and wreath how-tos this time of year — many of which can be completed with what you already have lying around the house or after a quick trip to the dollar store.

Maybe you aren’t looking to get into the DIY spirit yourself this season but have an aspiring artist on your shopping list. This beautiful step-by-step watercolor workbook from Brighter Day Press is perfect for kids (or adults) who love to paint but are still learning the technique. The workbook features original holiday designs, including the lamppost winter scene from Narnia and a Nativity silhouette. Brighter Day Press also offers pre-recorded watercolor classes featuring designs for all seasons. Be sure to order their watercolor paint set, too, which can be used in the workbook or alongside any of their painting tutorials.

Watercolor workbook from Brighter Day Press.

For the more established artist — or book-lover — on your list, check out these craft bundles from Sweet Sequels featuring hand-designed, literature-themed fabric panels. These bundles are perfect for sewing, quilting, or any project that requires some extra fabric. Sweet Sequels also offers a variety of prints and apparel featuring original, hand-painted designs — the perfect gifts for any art lover.  

Maisey Jefferson is a staff editor at The Federalist. She graduated from Gordon College in the greater Boston area with a degree in English and Professional Writing. She has previously served as an editorial intern at The Federalist as well as the Editor-in-Chief of the Gordon Review.