It’s the holidays, the season to spend time with friends, family and kids and ask the age-old question, “What do I give as a holiday gift?” I’m talking about shopping for all those people in your life who you see week in and week out—your kids’ school teachers, gymnastics coaches, dance teachers, soccer coaches, hair stylists, school office staff and tutors, just to name a few.
The key to a good gift is that it is thoughtful, cute and unique. By taking a small, inexpensive store-bought item and adding nice wrapping paper and a unique gift tag, you can really show those people in your life that you are thinking of them during the holidays!
I know some of you like to leave these gifts to the last minute, but it doesn’t have to be that way! Plan ahead this year with some quick, simple DIY holiday gifts that don’t break the bank or take up a ton of your time. I’m also featuring some printable gift tags I designed that will take your holiday gifts up a notch on the “Oh, that’s so cute!” scale.
Wine. It’s my favorite gift to give (and receive!), and it’s the perfect host or hostess gift during the holiday season. But let’s face it—giving a plain bottle of wine in a gift bag is boring and expected, so I made these DIY wine bottle Christmas wrappers with inexpensive items. To make the Christmas tree, I wrapped my wine bottle with a brown sack lunch bag, spray painted it green and tied a green bow around the neck of the bottle. I finished the look with a gold glitter star on top, an LED Christmas light necklace (that actually glows and blinks!) and a tag. To make the Santa version, I simply wrapped the wine bottle with a Christmas sock I found at the Dollar Bin and added some faux holly, jingle bells and a gift tag.
Cookie mix in a jar. This is another one of my favorite gifts to give and also makes a great hostess gift. This year I purchased a pre-made “Cookie-in-a-Jar” gift from Trader Joe’s (“Ain’t nobody got time for that” is a phrase that comes to mind!). I added a snowman hat ornament to the lid with hot glue, tied on a black bow “scarf” and added an instructional gift tag that I copied from the tag that was attached to the jar at the store. You can also use these editable cookie-in-a-jar gift tags if you are creating your own recipe from scratch.
Simmering potpourri. This is quite possibly my #1 favorite thing about the holiday season! Every year I look forward to the amazing scent that fills my house after just an hour or two of letting this potpourri simmer in my crockpot or stovetop pot. It’s such an easy gift to make and assemble—just add oranges, lemons, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise and any other items you like! Put everything into a mason jar or clear cellophane bag, add the simmering instructions on a tag, and this is a great gift for teachers and office staff!
Bath and body products. I purchased salt and sugar scrub, body butter and spa candles from Trader Joe’s to make small DIY spa gifts. I then added Christmas tree gift tags that read “Enjoy a little ‘you’ time this holiday!” to each gift package.
Don’t forget Fido. Pets deserve a little extra treat during the holidays too! Grab a mason jar or similar container and fill it with dog treats, bones or biscuits. I added these oh-so-fun doggie gift tags that read “Happy Pawlidays” and “We Woof You a Merry Christmas!” These also make great gifts if you are attending a party at the home of a dog owner!
Hand soap. I found these adorable holiday hand soaps at JoAnn Fabrics, and they inspired me to create some coordinating gift tags. These mitten gift tags can be tied to any hand soap or hand sanitizer to make really unique gifts!
Beer. What guy (or gal for that matter) doesn’t love the gift of good beer? I found this wooden beer gift tote in The Dollar Spot at Target and loaded it up with some craft beer. I then decorated the beer bottles to look like reindeer with pipe cleaners and googly eyes. I glued a few peppermint sticks on the end for an added Christmas touch and finally affixed this reindeer gift tag—love the Frozen reference!
And here’s a “Hoppy Holidays” gift tag that would be so fun for a beer gift! It would also be cute to tie onto beer accessories or a home brewing kit. Perfect for dads, husbands, brothers and grandfathers!
DIY cheese board. I found these olivewood cheese boards at Trader Joe’s and added some meats, cheeses, olives and crackers. The gift tags read, “I know it sounds cheesy, but I think you’re grate!” I love the play on words!
Infused olive oil. One of my favorite small gifts to give during Hanukkah is infused olive oils. I love that it ties into the theme of the story of the Hanukkah miracle, which is that a small quantity of oil needed to light the Temple’s menorah miraculously lasted eight days. I tied some humorous Hanukkah gift tags to the bottles of olive oil to turn each one into an adorable gift!
These elegant Hanukkah gift tags can be tied to your children’s presents for a personalized and sophisticated look this Hanukkah!
No matter what you’re celebrating or giving this December, remember to make your holiday gifts thoughtful and unique with some simple and easy touches that really go the extra mile. Happy holidays!
Comments
Jennifer Kohl
AMAAAAAZING!!