It’s finally Christmas and what better way to tell your friends and family you love them, than by creating something thoughtful with your own hands? Homemade gifts really don’t need to be naff nowadays, and as a bonus, they’re probably cheaper than the standard fragrance gift sets you’ve been buying in previous years. We’ve put together some of our favourite’s hand-made gifts, so make sure you let us know if you give any of them a go - there really are some cracking options if we do say so ourselves!

Shortbread

Easy, quick, and affordable, whilst still being super simple to make festive. Get hold of some shaped Christmas cutters and pop your biscuits into some sustainable brown paper bags, or alternatively, give the recipient something they can keep by delivering them in a tin. If you’ve got the time and are feeling particularly arty, why not ice a message, pattern, or face onto your shortbread to provide a memorable gift that doesn’t cost the earth. Brilliant right?

Fruit Infused Christmas Gin

This beauty looks seriously impressive and doesn’t take long at all. If you’re struggling to think of presents appropriate for your whole friendship group, then look no further, this will likely tick all their boxes. As a minimum you’ll need to grab a large jar to steep the fruit and gin inside and then some smaller, airtight bottles to give your gin in, as well as some ribbon to decorate the bottles. Core and slice 1 pear (red if possible) and 4 apples and add to a jar with another 120g of dried pears or apples. Pour 1 litre of gin over the fruit, seal the jar, and give it a good shake, before storing in a cool, dry place for 7-10 days (the longer you can leave it the more intense the flavour will be!) Strain the gin and pour into the smaller bottles and if you’re feeling extra fancy, add a sprig of fresh rosemary for extra flavour. Then all that’s left to do is seal and tie with as many festive ribbons and bows as you fancy.

Hot Chocolate Treat Jars

For the person you’re racking your brains on what to buy, this will be your saving grace. Since everyone loves a hot drink on a cold winter’s night, why not put something together for them to snuggle up with and enjoy over the festive period? Get hold of a large glass jar that has an airtight lid and then for the fun part… get layering! Add in a few scoops of hot chocolate powder, then some grated chocolate and a couple of spoons of demerara sugar. Next is completely down to personal taste, but we love a few crushed-up candy canes and some marshmallows, but you could also try Malteasers, fudge, choc chips, or even smashed biscuits. The layers look amazing, and it will make your pal numerous drinks so it’s super economical too.

Personalised Clay Coasters

These coasters are just as fun to make as they are to give! To start with, buy some air dry or oven bake clay and a small set of letter stamps. Next, decide on your shapes and roll the clay out to allow you to cut those shapes (you could even reuse the shortbread cutters if you wanted to!) Use the stamps to imprint the clay with the name, word, or message of your choice and allow it to dry, before decorating and painting if you feel like, and voila - A homemade gift that looks like it cost a tonne. Why not get some friends round and do some hand-made making together over mulled wine?

We’d love to see photos of your creations or hear about any other homemade present hacks you’d recommend. You can find us on all of the major social channels. Happy Christmas crafting!