Homemade Christmas- Idea Sharing

[ImmortalNowBabyDoll]

In the interests of being a bit more intentional about gifting this year, we've decided for our adult friends and family we're going to do homemade gift baskets as a family for Christmas. We've pre-warned them and said there is no pressure to reciprocate (everyone is busy) but if they do want to make instead of buy a gift that's lovely. So far, we are planning:

Me:
Needlefelt Christmas decorations (a nativity set for our religious friend, baubles for everyone else)
Felted soaps
Lavender sugar scrub
Summer berry jam (frozen berries)
Winter spice coffee syrup

Husband:
Caramelised onion chutney
"Abbey crunch" dupe cookies
Beeswax wraps
(He's currently trying to come up with some more ideas)

6 yo daughter (with help ofc!):
Salt dough ornaments
Gingerbread people

Who else is doing homemade Christmas gifts this year? Or has done it previously and has ideas for things that were well-received? Disaster stories also welcome, I'm sure we will encounter some on the way!

The cooked things look okay but the other things look like they’re going to take a lot of time?

But the number one thing to remember with home made things is that some people will neither like nor appreciate them. Are you okay with that? Because if not you might feel very hurt by their response. I know a number of crafty people and most of them do not give things as presents ever. They will happily teach someone to knit/bake/sew etc but unless you have made one yourself you cannot possibly know the number of hours that went into making it. And that is what makes it unappreciated. Sorry, but that has to be said.

What about fimo fridge magnets? Or a decorated wooden frame with a mirror? Pinterest?

My siblings all have late teen and twenty something dcs, who come home from university or visit with their new partners and are endlessly hungry, so I make cakes. A large cake for each household, different flavour every year.

The thing for me with home-made gifts (from adults.. I love them universally and unconditionally from kids) is that they can often end up feeling all about the giver, and not the receiver.

I mentioned on another thread, that I personally believe that great gifts are meaningful to both the giver and receiver, and consider both.

On that thread, a child giving a highly specific list that a parent was worried about deviating from, for me is an example of it being too much about the receiver and not enough about what the giver and what they actually want to give.

But on the other end of the spectrum, some home-made gifts, feel all about the giver, and not about the receiver at all. They can feel very "look at me!! Look how amazing we are! Everything is home made, we made it all ourselves, aren't we talented! Go on, remark about how impressed you are that we can make all of this, and think about how special we are!"

(I'm not saying this is you OP, but I've certainly been in these gift giving situations before)

The answer to this for me is that home made gifts work when they also consider the receiver. Do they actually want and will use what you are giving them? If you are putting the effort into making something specifically for someone, knowing they will love it, need it, use it etc. then they are so special... but if you are just making a batch of things and giving them to couples, some of whom will love it and use it, and some who will not? I worry that goes into the "all about the giver" territory.

I absolutely hate 'homemade gifts', especially when I have spent time and money to get these people things they specifically will enjoy. The things you've listed are the opposite of 'intentional' as you'd be giving everyone the exact same thing. Do all the people you are gifting these things to actually like them? Would they choose them above other things in a shop? For example, if I received your gift basket, whilst I'd make all the right noises, these would be my honest thoughts:

Decorations - I have my own very carefully curated decorations and wouldn't want any random handmade felt ones, they wouldn't go with anything and would sit in the decoration box for years to come (unless I felt awkward enough to pop them out when you came over).

Soap & scrub - I'd think they were nice but I never use homemade cosmetics, I don't know if they are safe for use on my sensitive skin.

Food - out of all you've listed we'd only eat the chutney. We do treat ourselves to some special chutney at Christmas though, so it would have to be very good!

Beeswax wraps - completely useless to us and would go in the bin.

Daughters contributions - whilst I'd think they were very cute, unless I was particularly close to her (niece/best friends child) I wouldn't want or keep her creations, my own children provide me with a much loved, steady supply.

If you're intent on home made I'd do things personalised to each person taking in to account their preferences, favourite biscuits, favourite jam etc.

Sorry but I wouldn’t want any of these and this would feel controlling to me;

We've pre-warned them and said there is no pressure to reciprocate (everyone is busy) but if they do want to make instead of buy a gift that's lovely.

I agree it's odd that you want to be "intentional' and are then doing the same items for everyone.

I would only want/use 2 items out of the list.

I’m sorry but I agree with the above posters. Whilst I’m sure you’re approaching this with the loveliest of intentions, that would be a basket of stuff I would start offering out to people to help themselves to what they’d like out of it.

My DH might have the coffee syrup but I doubt it, my dad would want the jam, my mum the chutney…

We made salt dough decorations with the kids which they gave to close family and friends but that was only when they were tiny and on top of the gift we would normally get them.

Sorry I agree with everyone else here saying that you've already decided what you're making and it doesn't sound much like you've taken into account what your friends and family would actually like to receive which is surely the whole point of gift giving

You could do flavoured alcohol with their favourite sweets (something like candy canes/werthers original dissolve and are ready for gifting much quicker than fruit liqueurs) but I suppose you could always do fruit and say leave for another few weeks if you thought they could wait 😅

Agree that 'home made' items are about the giver having fun crafting and taking the opportunity to show off a bit, and are nothing about what the receiver would like. Very selfish 'gift' giving. In our house, whilst we'd politely thank you, every single item on your list would go straight in the bin.

I used to love making home made gifts but I agree about considering who you are giving it to.

My brother lives in Cornwall, I have sent mango chutney because their are no, or at least there were not, any Asian grocers or sweet centres. I'm in Wolverhampton and have a lot of choice.

Samosas (OK not home made) became a Christmas tradition.

My pickled onions apparently take the roof of the mouth of anyone who eats them, so I only give them to people who like that.

Hot chocolate cones are a good one for kids to make themselves, layers of hot chocolate powder, marshmallows and chocolate drops in a piping bag tied with ribbon. A Christmas morning scavenger hunt is another nice low-cost idea, clues around the house leading to one small gift.

I love homemade gifts! I make a lot of them myself and love receiving them, too.

Our lifestyle is quite simple, and I try to avoid additives and harmful chemicals as much as possible. So, handmade soap sounds like a much better gift for me than branded soap, which can contain ingredients that aren't so good for your skin.

For children, how about bath bombs? We make our own, and the kids love them! And definitely sweets — homemade cookies, gummy bears, gingerbread men, etc. I think kids that age really appreciate sweets (well, mine do, as they don't get them all the time!).

Homemade jewellery is always a hit with my daughter, too!

In answer to the OP I'm making bookmarks. I do watercolours so have the basics. I'm buying precut and will finish with ribbon or tassels. Obviously for people who actually read books. I'm giving a couple of books this year and recipients will get one too. They look great, not too much time invested. I may also paint some cards for a select few, I have a some ideas. I don't expect anyone to treasure these gifts but I enjoy doing them and they have a function. Btw I'd appreciate anything on your list!

Some lovely suggestions on here.

I wasn't asking opinions on homemade giving.

We don't give to lots of adults- we have two best friends (both single), my parents and my brother and his wife. We know what they like and the baskets won't be identical. My Mum is coeliac so we'll swap out the biscuits for some honeycomb, and the decorations will be made to the receiver's taste.

Felted soap is very 'in' so as long as you buy good quality soap to start with, I think that will be appreciated.

I've made some leather journals for friends. I bought a small box of scraps fron Renee Materials https://hub.reneematerials.co.uk/ which made 6. I was delighted to sell one on Etsy the day after putting it up for sale!

You sound like a peach. Personally I love it a lot more when someone has made me something themselves than run into a shop for it.

However, it's bizarre you think I wouldn't have considered what my friends and family like.

The decorations will be made to the taste of the receiver.
I'll be using pears soap as a base for the felted soap which is extremely gentle on sensitive skin.
The sugar scrub will be made of sugar, coconut oil, jojoba oil and essential oil- much less likely to cause a reaction than anything in the shop.
Not eating jam or biscuits is quite unusual but if you were on my list I'd know that and swap those out for an alternative.
I am surprised you never pack away leftover food, use half a cucumber, or take a lunch to work but everyone in my circle certainly does appreciate saving food and would rather use something eco-friendly than cling film. What about cheese, do you always eat a whole block of cheddar in one go?
Daughter is contributing because she wants to. If people don't put the salt dough ornaments on the tree every year I'm sure we'll all be fine with that. If they don't eat out gingerbread that's their loss, it's delicious.

They're lovely! What a beautiful gift to give or receive.

I'll be using Pears Soap as it's super gentle. And I'll be making lavender soap (without felt) for my mum because she's not into the idea of felted soap.

I’m making a soft toy for grandchild and hat for niece who chose the pattern and yarn.

When I was a child I made classmates Christmas cards with potato print Christmas trees, gold and silver pen etc. Years later, I ran into someone at a conference who said how much she had liked this - I had just turned 50, I hadn’t seen her since I was 11. I’d forgotten all about these cards myself.

I do tend to agree with others I'm afraid. Are there enough tree decorations for my entire tree, a couple might look silly, I'd feel obliged to put them on, not everyone uses soap etc. I'm sure you know your audience though.

That aside, these are things I've made in the past. Not as gifts though- just things I've made for DH and myself then have given a jar etc away to the in laws if they liked it. I grow a lot of fruit/veg so always have excess to try to use.

-fig jam
-membrillo (quince jelly)
-Chilli vodka
-Sloe gin/vodka
-Plum brandy
-Pickled cucumbers
-Jellies for cold meats such as garlic, chilli, rosemary or mint
-Mango chutney
-Pomander
-Candied citrus peels with 1 end dipped in chocolate 😋

Thank you for the ideas.

If I wanted to know if people thought my current plan was acceptable I'd have posted on AIBU with the title "To give my relatives homemade gift baskets?" But I didn't.

I'm looking for ideas from other crafty people who like the idea of taking more time over gifts this year.

Whoa can I get on your gift list?
I used to give my kids’ teachers homemade chutney made with apples from our tree (note to self - plant one in my next garden as it was so bountiful). They loved it! Chilli apple jelly too - so good. But just the one item!
Fudge using Martha Stewart’s recipe that uses marshmallows- you don’t taste them but they do something magical. Very easy.
One year peppermint creams drizzled with melted chocolate.
I crochet and make tree ornaments and made a friend a wreath in their football team colours. But I wouldn’t generally give people outside the family crochet gifts - beanies and scarves do go down well but cardis and other things are definitely a certain ‘look’ which I don’t think are my friends’ style. Plus they’d have to be a very good friend as they take hours and hours! So restrict it to my own family. I actually don’t give gifts to anyone else anymore unless I’m seeing them over Christmas week.

Just a quick warning, op, I once went down the route of making baskets for family. One per family, with something in it for everyone. A lot of it was homemade. To be totally honest, it ended up being exhausting, more time-consuming and expensive than I thought it would be. I’m not trying to put you off, as this is obviously what you would like to do (and I think my family members definitely appreciated them), but just to be aware that it’s definitely not the easy option 😄 I would never, ever do it again. Part of that was also the massively high standards I’d set myself, right down to the packaging having to be perfect etc, and everything was, don’t get me wrong, but by the end of it I was just glad they were finished and out of my house and over and done with 😂

Homemade panatone (there are gluten free recipes too)
Homemade pate in a little mason jar
Love pp's ideas of infused spirits
If you are good at sewing or have a machine patchwork blanket/cushion cover, though they take time and may be one for next year (I'm doing one for my half sis who's mum passed suddley recently.
Home made keyring