Y’all know how much I love gifting! If you’re unaware, check out my holiday page for all the gift guides I’ve put together so far 😉 I know the holiday season can get EXPENSIVE, and it’s hard to purchase a gift for everyone you’d like to get something special for. I was recently on my friend Brooklyn’s podcast, Habit + Love, and we talked about intentional gift giving and budgeting for the holidays. I mentioned that there are so many ways you can make someone feel special via a gift that you don’t necessarily have to spend a lot of money on. I’ve rounded up a few of my favorite homemade gifts below. In addition, I also love to gift time. In reality, your parents and grandparents often have all the material things they could want or need, and would really rather enjoy spending time with you. Gifts of time are very affordable, but also the most memorable! Get some ideas below.
Homemade Gifts
Beer Cheese
Beer cheese is my favorite and pretty easy to make, especially a big batch! Package it up in festive tupperware with a bow on top for a delicious gift.
Hot Chocolate Mix
These hot chocolate mixes are cute and fun for a family to make together!
Snack Mix
I love snack mix at the holidays. We made this Trader Joe’s copy-cat recipe and packaged it in holiday cellophane bags for our neighbors and friends last year.
Taco Seasoning or Spice Mix
Mix up some taco mix or whatever your favorite seasoning mix is and package it in mini mason jars. My cousin did this for us last year and I think of her every time we use the seasoning mix!
Holiday Cookies
Who doesn’t love some Christmas cookies?! Sally’s Baking Addiction makes my favs.
Holiday Simmering Mix
This simmering mix by Gathered Living can be boiled on the stove to make your house smell like the holidays! Mix some up and package in mason jars with a festive bow.
Gift Basket
You know how I feel about my gift baskets! Put one together with your favorite snacks from the grocery store, local treats, craft supplies… whatever you think the person would enjoy! This isn’t totally free, but you can make a big impact with lower priced items by packaging them in a pretty basket 🙂
Gifts of Time
Like I said before, I love giving gifts of time, and not only is it affordable, but it’s often more appreciated by the recipient! The ideas are endless. You can print off a “coupon book” of items, or just write a personal note and include that you are gifting them “a weekend of dog sitting” etc. Some of my favorite gifts we’ve given my parents are cooking classes that we’ve all done together (locally we’ve done this at Pasta Garage, Stuarto’s and Wild Thyme). While the classes were not free, we didn’t pay for them until we did the classes a month or two after the holidays, so you at least get to space out when you’re spending on all of the gifts and can budget for that in a separate month from December!
- Babysitting
- Dog sitting
- Dog walking
- Housesitting
- Yardwork
- Planting/mulching
- Organizing
- House cleaning
- Take them out to dinner/lunch/brunch
- Trip to museum/park/hiking/bowling
- Homemade meal
- At home spa day
- At home movie night
- At home class for something they enjoy – find a YouTube video for cooking, making a cocktail, craft, etc. and plan a special night to watch and learn a new skill together
- Get out of “jail” free card – could use for your spouse/partner/kids to get out of chores, the dishes, getting up with the baby, taking the dog out etc. for a day.
