What can I make for Christmas?

[yesiamyesiamokaycallmeback]

I don't want to buy anything for Christmas except for secondhand books and soap from an easy shop which I love.

I want to make presents for my family and children this year. But I have no idea what I can make for a main present

I so far have
-knitted hats/ scarves/ mittens
-christmas cookies

thats it. thats all I can think of.
what can I make thats sustainable (ish)
I have a printer so was thinking of making some Harry Potter bbbeans and maybe a magic wand each for the kids but it seems pretty lame for Xmas.

the kids have tons of toys. I don't know what to do. I don't want to buy toys they don't want just because I think they should have more to open.

any idea? anyone else doing a more simple Xmas?

kids are 3 5 and 7 so a range of ages.
adult gift ideas too please
God help me

Don’t give adult gifts, if money is a problem definitely don’t spend time or money on the adults, adults understand and won’t care if they receive a homemade bath bomb or not.

Children do care, if you want to make homemade gifts that’s fine. Don’t make things for the sake of it, does your 3 year old really want a patchwork throw or would they prefer a charity shop toy?

my eldest asked for a games console and a mobile phone and a petrol quad bike (where from I don't know)
he's 7 so no to all of these.

he likes black pantha
I wonder if there is anything I can do/ find

@peakotter
I will genuinely give it a go. in theory it shouldn't be that hard.

my dad is a carpenter so hopefully he could help do it for me

If your dad is a carpentor then maybe he and your eldest could make something together. Perhaps a sign for his door or a statue with a black panther theme?

I think an experience like this would be enjoyable, and it would be much more personal that way.

I also agree with the poster who said if money is tight then don't buy for the adults. A lot of people will be struggling this year, and may welcome the chance to cut down the number of people they feel like they have to buy for.

Chocolates. You might have to buy the moulds but you then have them for subsequent gifts and you and DC can have lots of fun creating and wrapping them.

If you’re not opposed to a console in principle you can get them cheap secondhand. Local Facebook page.

Gaming and chatting to friends online has been a lifesaver for ds during lockdown,

[quote yesiamyesiamokaycallmeback]@crochetmonkey74 ah I see good idea
how do you get them together? or stick the pages in? sewing?[/quote]
Yes, so you assemble the pages then fold - then sew through- you can find good easy tutorials on You Tube

My dad is a carpenter too!

Ask him to router some grooves into all 4 sides of a long stick of 2x2 and cut into towers. Then you can use ply to make sides with drawbridge etc and it’s like a kit that the kids can make into any shape. Holes for flags, and elastic powered slingshots for firing cannon balls would make it loads of fun.

I agree with pp about leaving some bits for them to finish themselves. The kids can make extra parts if you give them the bits, or decorate their own sections.

Get your dad to lend you a jigsaw and you’ll be done in no time.

My best present as a kid was a really basic wooden dolls house frame my dad made. We spent ages making all the accessories together.

OP, I think it depends what crafts you can already “do”. It also depends what material you already have, as otherwise it gets expensive. To get a really nice gift it needs to be pretty well done, particularly for adults!

Beautifully made dolls clothes, or finger puppets would be amazing. But something that’d be time consuming and fiddly to do.

The Harry Potter wand shop idea is amazing! Baking sets are a great idea. I might steal those.

Pallets are time consuming as you’ve to break them up & remove nails before you start, and they’re very splintery so take a lot of sanding for kids toys. Would your older one enjoy using the wood himself? You could do the prep (break up pallets, sand them down) and print off instructions for something he could make himself.
For the middle one you could do it as a kit (cut to size, pre-drill holes). Then they get to put together a bug box / bird house / whatever. That gives them something to do / play with which might be useful this year! If you could stretch to some basic small tools that could go down well - an engineers hammer, screwdriver, smaller wood saw. And safety goggles!!!! They’re very unlikely to really do themselves harm if you show them how to do it safely, except with a chip of wood or a hammer-to-the-eye.

Your kids list doesn't sound like they arent into plastic tat. Honestly this would have ruined Xmas for me as a kid. I would really consider second hand toys if money is tight because this doesn't sound great for kids tbh sorry.

Cross-posted

There are some good printable colouring pages of Black Panther online OP - it reminds me of one of my favourite presents from when I was little- my Mum would cover a shoe box with wrapping paper and inside would be colouring pages, cheap coloured pencils, paperclips, stickers etc - sometimes a stapler - she told me years later these would be things she found/ used in work etc and through the year she would just chuck in little bits and bobs- as well as occasionally grabbing some of the nicer untouched pens/ felts from the pen pot and chucking those in as well to pad it out a bit -she would photocopy colouring pages at work too (we were on the bones of our arse most of the time)
I loved getting it so much-it remains one of my nicest memories- you could print out Black Panther pics, cover a box and print out colouring sheets?

Also, I saw a Black Panther kids mask for Halloween made out of Black Felt and a face visor on you tube- you could have a go at making him that

My best present as a kid was a really basic wooden dolls house frame my dad made. We spent ages making all the accessories together

Love this idea- you could also collect fee wallpaper samples/ cheap tester pots and the kids could decorate it themselves

Homemade reed diffusers using essential oils. You buy the carrier oils and reeds then create your own blend.

Hand soap. Buy 5 litres of Bio D unfragranced hand wash, then add essential oils to it. You can buy glass bottles with pumps. You can make eco cleaning products too ( but who wants kitchen cleaner for Christmas?)

I am doing this but got carried away and ended up spending £70 on oils!!! My first attempt smelt like cough medicine.

I love the wand shop and reading cushions.

OP my son makes beautiful wands out of chopsticks and all kinds of foraged stuff. He picks up beads and buttons in the street, cleans them and adds them to his stash. He uses string to add texture and spray paints them. He has a vase full.

I think the chopsticks are from flying tiger/ikea. You could put together a 'make your own wand kit' then dc could spend an afternoon making them.

And if you can crochet check out littlebeaumouse on etsy. Her doll patters are beautiful, and she does a Harry Potter one. Although you'll have to crochet fast to get it done by Christmas!

Christmas decorations. For the kids, one with their name on and maybe the year

For the adults I’d do food or drink Limoncello is easy and basically vodka and lemons. Nice fudge in a few flavours or biscuits for those with a sweet tooth and chutney for those who prefer savoury.

How about a play... kitchen/shop/post office/vet surgery? Just need a large cardboard box, lots of tape, and print out signs etc from Pinterest! Add things like weighing scales, till (calculator), and dress-up outfits (mainly using bits you have at home). Something they can all play with together and have a lot of fun on the day.
Your 7yo is that bit older and if he really wants a console you could consider one of these www.amazon.co.uk/Vou-tiger-Handheld-Consoles-Classic/dp/B088WJ7WCH/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?dchild=1&psc=1&keywords=retro+console+gifts&sprefix=retro+consile&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyQjhWTkZZTENFRzVRJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMjc0NDIwMUdLOUM0RUlHVVFHUiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMDc1Nzg5MUUwV0xLVVM1QVk2WCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX3Bob25lX3NlYXJjaF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1604401804&sr=8-2-spons
They really do have 520 games to play and are pretty awesome fun! Not bad for the price

Haven't RTFT so apologies if these are a repeat, but:

• Homemade colouring books if you have a printer, designed around each child's interests
• Likewise, I think there are sites where you can create your own paint by numbers. Print out on paper and mount on cardboard for sturdiness
• Homemade games? Ie Guess Who but with friends/family/famous people or characters they know

Or, if that's too much work, have a good look on Ebay for secondhand stuff and save yourself a lot of effort!

In the nicest possible way...unless you're incredibly talented, this isn't a good idea. Kids want proper presents and few adults will thank you for home made tat, even if
they're too nice to say it to you. Crafts can also be expensive, I've made a few crocheted blankets which I love but it would have been cheaper to buy mass produced ones than the wool, never mind the labour...

@yesiamyesiamokaycallmeback

my eldest asked for a games console and a mobile phone and a petrol quad bike (where from I don't know) he's 7 so no to all of these.

he likes black pantha
I wonder if there is anything I can do/ find

So not against plastic at all and has actually asked for things. Complete opposite of what you said initially.

Find him a second hand console. Don't craft him something and expect him to be pleased.

I was speaking to a friend whose parents preferred not to spend lots of money about her experience of Christmas. She had very positive memories, more often about the activities around christmas than the presents. To be honest as an adult i struggle to recall what gifts i got as a kid, but i do remember time spent together.

My friends especially liked the part where they made sweets for christmas together - homemade peppermints creams, marzipan fruits, fudge, chocolates, etc and when they made Christmas decorations.
While presents are obviously important too, i hope to hold on to the idea that it is also about family time together.

In terms of home-made or cheap gifts i really love the sock puppets idea. You could even get cardboard and paint and make a wee stage together for them.

In the past when money was tight i have made cards for my partner to redeem later, i.e. Swap this card for me to make you a cup of tea, run a bath, take an extra turn at cooking. Four our first wedding anniversary (paper) i wrote on the outside of envelope "open me when..." ..you are feeling sad, when you cannot sleep, when you want a laugh (filled with jokes), when you want to remember (filled with photos), etc.

I think homemade can work if they are tailored to the person you are giving them to (so my husband struggled to ask me to do anything 'extra' and the cards gave him permission to ask when he felt low).

Oh OP I think your children will be disappointed to be honest.
If I were in your shoes I would 100% forego any presents for adults and I would cut back in other areas to get my children gifts from Santa.

I think you could make a couple of smaller stocking filler type things but I would really consider getting a present that they want as well.

You can get pre-printed cardboard castles that can be coloured in by the children and they're big enough for them to go inside like an indoor playhouse. My friends little boy has one and he loves it

What about a rag doll and a little pram / cot for your dd if you really object to 'plastic'

I honestly could not give my 3 year old a badly made photo scrap book as his present for Christmas.

I tend to agree with PP who say this seems like its about what you want, not what will make them happy.

There's still 6 weeks to go, I would do anything in my power to sort their presents and my family would 100% understand that

A cheap hit for my kids last year was a sweet jar. Took two large mason jars with the flip lid (dupes from IKEA) and bought a decal vinyl tranfers of their names. DD's name is rose gold script. DS's name is back 'marvel' font. You can buy the transfers from eBay for a couple of pounds. They come with instructions and the jars look very professional. Then fill it with sweets, just picked up a packet of what ever was on offer that week. Told my friend this idea and she did the same to an unwanted spaghetti jar she had lying around - that looked quite spectacular.

Also have a look around at what you can sell. In the past couple of weeks I have made 50 quid putting things on local Facebook selling pages. I will be using the money for crackers, cards wrapping paper , chocolates etc. It felt good to have a declutter. I know this could be difficult during lockdown but doesn't hurt to make a start.

I think he dolls house/castle via your Father's carpentry for your DD is an excellent idea. But your DS doesn't sound as if he would be happy with a knitted Christmas. Argos have some cheaper retro gaming consoles the old fashioned kind you hooked up to the TV ask around you'll be surprised who wants to sell/giveaway but just hadn't got around to it

I usually do a mix of homemade and brought presents. I have a 2 year old DD and this year she'll be getting some Happyland sets brought secondhand off Facebook. She loves the sets but I don't love the prices so this is a good compromise and it's reusing perfectly good toys. I'm going to make her a super hero cape too.

I've been knitting on and off all year so my DH and a few friends will be getting hats. I also make a lot of jam/chutneys/pickled things in the autumn so those are usually well received gifts too. I think you have to know whether the person you're gifting something homemade to will appreciate it. My DPs for instance would not care for homemade chutneys or knitted things and they wouldn't be used.

In the past I've also made coasters (tiles with wallpaper samples and felt), scarves, blankets, truffles, pin cushions, a roll to store knitting needles and biscuits. I wanted to try making some sloe gin this year but didn't get around to it. I'm sure something like infused vodka would go down well for adults.

It's a cheap idea but how about gifting favourite snacks/drinks if you don't usually have them in the house. I was given a hamper of my favourite drinks (cheap fizzy drinks), crisps and chocolate for my birthday and I loved it!