Handmade Christmas Gifts.

[rackhampearl]

I really feel like handmaking my families Christmas gifts this year. Would you be disappointed to receive a handmade gift? Or are there any handmade gifts that you've received that you absolutely love? Would love to hear your experiences.

I knitted myself some fingerless gloves and got asked by others to make them for them - they go down well as people can still use phones etc while wearing them.

Only other things I make (and only for people I know like them) are jams / spicy chutney etc

I made these makeup brush wrap things last year. Everyone seemed pleased and use them. Very easy to make

oh, and can I have the recipe for the gin and lime jam please? not that i'd give any of it away mind

My mum gives homemade jams and alcohol. She is really good in it though.
People, myself included love these because it is unusual and in our family we always said that the best gifts are the ones you can eat. It's much better than having anothe dust catching thing on shelves or million perfumes and creams.

I'm making reed diffusers this year. Almond oil with a few drops of essential oil, in a pretty glass bottle with some flower reeds. Will cost about 4 each, and I know each person's favourite smell.

I'm making reed diffusers this year

Love this idea so long as it’s done how you say with people’s favourite scents. If someone gave me a geranium one because their nan loves it and they wanted to use one oil I’d be . Suspect no one actually likes the smell of geraniums so that’s a bad example.

Really tempted to give this a go now!

I made my children small quilts for the car, backed with fleece. They like them for long journeys. Also, I make mince pies for the office. The filling and pastry are home made. So much nicer than shop ones.

My mother has knitted us all chunky circular scarves/snoods which are lovely.

If you sew, I think make up bags and stuff like that are safer than clothes. Depends how well you know the recipient: in my family we don't do adult Xmas presents anyway but an ironic 'so horrible it's actually good' present would bring much joy and laughter.

Homemade soap I'd try but DP has dermatitis so wouldn't touch it.

Funnily enough, this is the reason that lots of people use handmade soap rather than shop bought soap, in that if it is handmade you know exactly what is in it. My niece who has bad eczema discovered that my handmade soap is one of the few which doesn’t irritate her skin.

As regards other homemade presents, one of the reasons that I started making things is because of not wanting to fill up people’s houses with tat. In general most of what I make are ‘consumable’ items, eg soap, food, drink etc which can either be ‘consumed’ or re-gifted if the recipient really doesn’t want or like it.

I guess it's the whole "it's the thought that counts" mantra as honestly I have sometimes thought that the primary motivation for giving such gifts is because the gift giver wants to save money or show off a skill as opposed to actually give a gift that they genuinely think would be perfect for me.

I certainly agree that part of the reason for homemade gifts is to do with cost. I have a large extended family and I find that the cost of Christmas can just spiral if I’m not careful. I find it strange that anyone would think you’re ‘showing off’ just because you happen to enjoy being creative in some way. Trying to think of a gift that is ‘perfect for you’ and especially one that is within someone’s price range is not always easy. The lovely thing about homemade food and drink gifts is that they are generally acceptable to most people, and even if they aren’t, they won’t be taking up space in your house for the next few years!

That's not quite true when it comes to pickles. I had some in a hamper that stayed in the fridge for a year until I threw them out unopened

Reed diffuser is a WONDERFUL idea.

I absolutely love crafting, it brings me great joy and relaxes me.

However I don't actually like handmade gifts. I really appreciate the thought and effort but I can think of two only that I want, I want my mum to finish making my Christmas stocking and for my sister to draw or paint a picture of my children as she is amazing at it.

I wouldn't eat anything, no shower or bath stuff, no ornaments, etc. Even though I enjoy knitting, I don't actually like knitted things so blankets or clothes are out. I might like someone to embroider some cushions maybe?

I would like the promise of a day out. Maybe to the local nature centre with a picnic or wander around the lake. Or someone to clean my floors for me as I hate that job and would be ecstatically grateful.

Reed diffuser is a WONDERFUL idea.

Make sure that you write all over it is gold share or paint a stained glass effect on it. Use old kebab sticks for reeds, ideally attach flags with the name of each family member on the top of each reed. Don't forget to tie the ribbon round and pack it in cellophane.

gold sharpie not share

Make sure that you write all over it is gold share or paint a stained glass effect on it. Use old kebab sticks for reeds, ideally attach flags with the name of each family member on the top of each reed. Don't forget to tie the ribbon round and pack it in cellophane.

Sorry wrong thread- I though this was the crap homemade items thread. I apologise profusely.

I started this exact thread a month or so ago and it was overwhelmingly negative I’m afraid! Everyone was either like ‘ew, homemade food’ or thought it was just so the giver could go ‘ooh look how clever I am’. So now I’m just making stuff and telling people ‘I have this if you want it’. Eg I love embroidery, making quilts etc, but don’t want multiple hanging around my house! So, that means Christmas shopping instead of making for me!

I made a homemade hamper for friends once and I'm 100% sure they loved it.

She's very into homemade stuff though so I did think it would be up her street...

I made:

• Homemade mulling syrup in a nice bottle (very easy to make), tied some cinnamon around the bottle top with a nice tag and put a bottle of red with it

• Chocolate salami (look it up on Pinterest)

• Feta, sundried tomatoes and herbs in a garlic oil in a nice jar

• Red onion chutney

Threw in cheese and crackers and called it a couple's night in hamper (they had small kids so were going to be having a fair few evenings in over the Xmas period).

The one thing I don't like is when people say their kids helped bake something...I'm quite picky with food and would just imagine kids picking their nose when mum wasn't looking and then getting their hands in it or something

I’d like homemade food items from family. Or if you were going to spend loads of money and time one of those super chunky arm knit throws.

Anything else, nah.

OP I think your ideas are lovely. Home made gifts are given with love and that's what Christmas is all about.
Our next door neighbour gives us a beautiful Xmas box every year with jams, chutnies, biscuits, salted caramel sauce, truffles and cream liqueur. It is fabulous.
( She is forever handing in baking too- my waistline suffers!). We love it.
Anyone who wouldn't appreciate your time, effort and care isn't worth giving a gift too.

To not too!

unless its edible, JUST DON'T. Please don't

For a homemade gift I wouldn’t want anything that could be prefaced with ‘its so easy to do...’ so no mulled wine kits, or bath salts or those layered baking ingredients in jars. I would like something where someone had a skill or talent they were sharing - so a beautifully embroidered bookmark, a lovely water colour or handmade wooden jewellery box. Essentially the kind of hand made gift I couldn’t throw together myself. Aside from that I’m grateful for small gifts, so a few chocolates or a book would be far preferable to some questionable chutney.

Every year I do Christmas baking on top of gifts, this year I'm just doing hampers of the foodstuffs that get requested from me every year and cost a fortune on top of the gifts I buy. I'm on maternity leave and can't afford it all, however have found some nice hamper kits and would be doing the baking for home anyway.

The contents will be;
Christmas pudding fudge
Peppermint cremes
Onion chutney
Sea salt crackers
Sloe gin.

Potentially cranberry and white chocolate panattone if I can relocate last year's recipe!

If you know your homemade gift will be well received, do it. If you are in any doubt, it's not worth your time and they'd probably prefer a cheap box of chocolates.

I'd be very happy with anything food, and soap would be good too.

Jewellery, candles, general craft stuff I would consider tat.

@LaurieMarlow @Namechangeforthiscancershit

I am sadly not even kidding It was literally a piece of wood with a ribbon so you could hang it and then a picture of Jesus sort of 1/3 of the way down.

Odd thing is sister is usually pretty decent with gifts I have NO CLUE what got into her head that year..

(now I wish I had taken pictures but back then I was like really??)