DIY Christmas Gifts

DIY Christmas gifts are one of the ways I’ve learned to help keep Christmas old-fashioned, frugal, and homestead-style, even if you don't live on a homestead. Read on for the best cheap and easy ideas, including last-minute gifts in a jar, handmade crafts for a gift basket, and more!

Grab these great 5 tips to have an old-fashioned frugal Homesteader's Christmas. I so overlooked part of tip #1 last year and it really cost me.

Listen to the full podcasts (Episode #72 – 9 Ways to Have a Frugal Pioneer Christmas Like Laura Ingalls, and Episode #95 – 5 Tips to an Old Fashioned Homestead Frugal Christmas) of the Pioneering Today Podcast, where we don’t just inspire you but give you the clear steps to create the homegrown garden, pantry, kitchen and life you want for your family and homestead.

A grandfather, mother and daughter sitting around a Christmas tree.

Why I Love DIY Christmas Gifts

I love the holidays; that old saying, “like a kid at Christmas,” I tend to hit the fountain of youth in my spirit this time of year. When getting ready for Christmas, it can be easy to let your enthusiasm get carried away, and before you know it, you’ve blown your budget.

Our family Christmas traditions include making DIY Christmas gifts that help keep the budget intact and provide a good excuse to host a holiday craft party. Giving heartfelt handcrafted gifts is near and dear to my heart and keeps the ways of the Pioneers alive through our modern homesteading.

No matter where you live, you can adapt to a homesteading lifestyle too, because I'm here to tell you homesteading is a frame of mind first.

So, as you make your homemade Christmas gifts this year, consider the steps you are taking to a more self-sufficient and community-sufficient lifestyle.

And while you are at it, don’t forget to ditch the store-bought gift wrapping and wrap your creations with these DIY gift bags and tags from the Great Depression Era!

Two old Mason jars with paper money and coins.

Money Saving Tips

A Pioneer Christmas was much more frugal but every bit as special. Isn't that the key to this old-fashioned life, finding out that spending less doesn't mean actually having less, but really having more of what's important?

Following the example they set for us, let’s look at modern ways we can spend less.

Create a Budget

Creating a reasonable and realistic budget helps to stay within our means and gives us a glimpse of what it must have been like to live during the Great Depression. Without a budget, walking into a craft store is dangerous for me; I will definitely buy too much.

Creativity runs wild when we know we only have a certain amount of money, resources and time to draw from. Less truly is more when you draw from a deep reservoir of memories and endearing thoughts about the person you’re gifting and make it unique for that person.

A checklist and hand holding a gold pen.

Create a List

When you create a list of everyone you want to give a gift to, you will often find that your list exceeds your budget. There is only so much time and resources to draw from, and you must prioritize your list.

I must confess that children have a special place in my heart regarding Christmas giving. It’s such a magical time for them, and I just love making special DIY gifts for the kids in my life.

My kids and husband top my list. Then, extended family, friends, neighbors and service workers like pastors and teachers. Take time to consider who tops your list, decide what to give, including materials and time, and how much to spend to keep you within your budget.

A dutch oven hanging from a tripod over an open fire.

Consider Alternatives to Traditional Gift Giving

As I said, my Christmas list of people can sometimes outweigh my resources and time. Go through your list of receivers, and consider if it would be more meaningful to them to receive a gift of an experience.

A night out to dinner with close friends or a bike ride and picnic with family members is just as special as a handmade gift.

You can get creative to remain within your time and monetary budget when considering what interests each person on your list. Fishing trips, camping adventures or a simple bonfire with a homemade s’mores kit can be fun and memorable.

Pro-Tip: Don’t forget to take pictures of your “time-spent together gift ideas” and create a homemade birthday or Mother’s Day gift idea like a homemade frame or scrapbook!

Consider What You Already Have on Hand

Look at your DIY Christmas gift ideas thoughtfully and with your budget in mind. Saving money throughout the year for certain fabrics, Mason jars for canning specialty foods, or other items like hot glue and ribbon should be included in your budget.

But before you hit the stores, go through the items you have on hand! It’s easy to forget what you have tucked away when it’s something you used a couple of years ago and stored away in the attic. Getting those creative juices flowing by looking at your inventory is budget-wise.

Pioneering Today Cotton Tea Towel tucked into apron around woman's waist

Make DIY Gifts in Batches

When thinking about homemade gifts, try to make a large batch to give to multiple people. Even store-bought gifts can be paired with a homemade gift, helping cut down on the purchase expense.

For instance, you might wrap a gift in a jar with a custom tea towel or pair some of your DIY bath and body gifts with a homemade natural bath and beauty care masterclass.

Homesteader’s Guide to DIY Christmas Gifts

Now that you have a budget and made your list, it’s time to decide what DIY Christmas gifts to make this season!

Crafts

The pioneers hung their actual stockings on the mantle. Today, we have pretty stockings, not the ones we wear on our feet, but they can still be handmade pioneer style by re-purposing an old sweater into a unique one-of-a-kind stocking.

Here are some fun and creative ideas for DIY handmade gifts that are easy to make with simple patterns and re-purposed materials. You don’t need to be a seamstress to make these cute gift ideas.

A woman standing by a fireplace mantle with a holiday garland on top.

Ornaments and Decor

The Pioneers used what they had on hand to decorate. A Christmas tree was cut down and brought inside, provided you lived where evergreens grew. Instead of store-bought garland and glittered plastic bulbs, it was decorated with strands of popcorn and cranberries if available.

Sometimes, you'd have one or two very special store-bought glass ornaments; most likely, you would find some hand-sewn ones made with bits of leftover fabric, pieced together from clothing items to remind you of your loved ones.

Ornaments made from little sister's baby dress or grandma's classic apron bring fond memories of the person who wore them to mind.

Below are a few of my favorite DIY handmade Christmas ornaments and decorations to dress up your house and give as gifts this holiday season.

DIY Homemade Pantry Baking Mixes in Mason Jars on counter

Gifts in a Jar

I love to give consumable gifts, and if you know me, you also know that I love anything in a Mason jar. DIY Mixes in a Jar is a perfect gift of these two things, plus you can make them with items you likely already have in your well-stocked pantry!

Here are my favorite mixes to make a Mason jar gift.

Mason jars filled with apple pie filling sitting in a steam canner.

Preserves

If you have my book, Everything Worth Preserving, you likely already have plenty of preserves to choose from.

Certain family members specifically request my pickled asparagus as a gift each year, so I always make sure to have enough stocked up for Christmas. Here are a few more popular recipes to choose from.

Vanilla beans floating in the homemade vanilla extract.

Infusions and Extracts

You can save a lot by using culinary herbs that you grow to make infusions and extracts for baking and cooking. Purchasing them is expensive, and making them yourself can give you confidence, knowing they do not have any questionable ingredients.

Making several batches ahead of time when these herbs are ready to harvest makes wonderful DIY Christmas gifts, especially for those who love to cook and bake!

Homemade soap tied with twine as gifts sitting on a table.

Bath and Body Gifts

My health journey led me to heal stomach acid naturally by removing GMOs and highly processed foods from my diet.

This journey continued as I began making non-toxic household cleaners, considering why skincare ingredients matter, and even practicing herbalism. Below are some of my favorite homemade bath and body products that double as welcomed gifts.