Making a Handmade Christmas Gift Basket is a gift you can be proud of and your friends will cherish. Homemade gifts, although special, are often difficult to come up with. We want the perfect gift, but we also want to be able to put our personal touch on it. A great way to make homemade gifts extra special and easier to brainstorm is to create a DIY Gift Basket. I will share with you some of my favorite unique Christmas gift basket ideas and how to figure out the perfect gift for your friends and family.
Every year we host a Christmas Gift Basket bar at our bakery the Flour Barn. We bake hundreds of cookies, brownies, chocolates and more. We also host other local vendors including local coffee roasters, local candle makers, local maple syrup farmers and even a local embroiderer. I am so proud of each item we sell and love to see all the different combinations that people come up with. From coffee-themed baskets complete with a cozy mug, a couple of cookies, and the delicious flavor of freshly roasted coffee beans to Sourdough bread baskets with freshly baked bread, jam, and butter. I have seen it all!
How to get Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas
Your Skills
Brainstorming for gifts for loved ones is difficult already, and more difficult if you plan to make the gift. I would first consider what you are good at. If you are a really good cookie baker, then consider building a basket based around your famous Christmas cookies. You may be craftier and have a talent for homemade ornaments. If so, you will center your homemade baskets around beautiful ornaments. I suggest staying away from brainstorming an idea first and then learning the skill later. For example, if you have never made sourdough bread before I do not suggest trying to master it right before Christmas. If it is a new skill, be sure to keep it simple.
Their interests
Consider what your gift recipients love to do. Use what you’re good at and turn it into something more personalized and catered to what they enjoy. For example, if they love sports that may seem like a difficult theme to make homemade. However, if you love to bake you can make them a basket full of game day snacks: individual bags of chex mixes, caramel corn, and granola. Arrange the snacks in a nice new bowl for snacking and you have a clever, thoughtful gift for a person who may be difficult to buy for.
Your Budget
Sometimes homemade gifts can be cheaper, and sometimes they can even be more expensive. But sometimes making your gifts is not about saving money, but instead about making your gift more personal and your gifting more sustainable. Consider your budget, and if it is higher consider adding higher-end ingredients or supplies. In addition, I like to add in a couple of store-bought items to help bulk up my basket and add some variety. If your budget doesn’t allow, that’s okay too.
Christmas Gift Baskets for the Holiday Season
Homemade Sourdough Bread Basket
This is the perfect gift if you have devoted the time to learning the skill of baking sourdough bread. Here is our recipe. But if you have not ever made sourdough before, this can still be a great gift. Check out your community for a local baker! Freshly baked local bread is a delicious and special gift. If you do not know of any local bakery locations, be sure to check Facebook for local home bakers.
What to add to your Sourdough bread Basket.
Great additions to your Homemade Sourdough Bread Gift Basket include homemade jam, butter, and oils. Here is a delicious Cranberry Jam we love to include in our Christmas baskets. Salted butter can also last up to a week out of the refrigerator, so whipping some butter up and placing it into the jar is a beautiful and useful addition to your basket. Infused Oils are also delicious with sourdough bread. Consider adding fresh herbs or dried herbs in the same jar of olive oil and have some coarse salt or Italian seasoning in a separate container. I also added a container of cinnamon sugar to my basket because cinnamon toast is an all-time favorite in my house. I also included a Christmas tea towel and a wooden spoon in my basket to help bulk it up. Here is the cute basket I found on Amazon also.
Items:
- Small Jars for butter, cinnamon sugar and jam here.
- Small cork top jars for spices and oil here
- Christmas tea towel
- Wooden spoon
- Wicker Basket
- Flour Barn Bakery Sourdough Bread loaf
Hot Chocolate Homemade Gift Basket Idea
I do not think I can count the number of hot cocoa mix gift ideas I have seen, but there is a reason it is popular. A basket is the perfect way to gift hot cocoa because you really can provide everything a person could want with their hot chocolate. This gift is perfect for chocolate lovers, homebodies, and anyone who enjoys a hot cup of cocoa on a cold day.
As I mentioned, there are a lot of hot cocoa mix gift ideas, so you have a lot of items to choose from! I love making Hot Cocoa Bombs as well as Hot Cocoa Stir Sticks. Both are unique ways to create the perfect cup of cocoa. But for more bulk mix options, a nice glass milk carton or mason jar is a great way to hold a large amount of homemade cocoa mix. Accompany your cocoa with homemade marshmallows, they are so fun and simple to make! I also like to add in different chocolates, maybe some Christmas cookies and sprinkles!
Items:
DIY Christmas Gift Baskets
It may seem a little strange to make homemade items so that someone else can make something homemade, but it is so much fun! Because I love to bake, I love to make the Homemade Cookie Decorating Kits complete with homemade sugar cookies cut out into Christmas shapes, homemade buttercream, and sprinkles! It is the perfect present for all ages and as a bonus it is delicious.
My husband has also made a Homemade Bird House Kit for his younger brother that they put together as a gift. He made all the different pieces and included the proper number of nails and any other items they may need. Then they assembled it together and his brother painted it in proper OSU colors. His brother loved it and it still is in use at their house.
Items:
Gourmet Food Gift Basket
I am a big Charcuterie fan, so this is something I love. It is less about creating items and more about assembling them. This is a good option if you are going to a dinner party, and you can enjoy the gift that night. If you want it to last longer, just try to keep more items uncut and packaged–especially soft crackers and pretzels, as they can get stale and absorb other smells and tastes. I love doing this kind of basket because it is fun to theme around the person you are gifting it to. Whether it is a more manly basket for your dad or a sweet tooth-themed basket for your mom. Here are some more tips for creating a nice charcuterie board!
The Baking Enthusiasts Holiday Gift Baskets
As an avid baker, I had to include this idea. For beginner bakers, the sky is the limit. Get a cute mixing bowl and fill it with cookie cutters, oven mitts, and a Dutch whisk! For someone who already bakes a lot and may seem to have everything, I recommend assembling a kit of high-quality ingredients of unique mixes they may have never heard of. Interesting baking books are also always a welcome gift that can fit well at the back of the gift basket. At our bakery, we host several baking and cooking classes, so a gift card or certificate to a class like this would be a nice addition to this basket. For more ideas for baking enthusiasts check out our post Gifts for Bakers!
Items:
- Mason Cash Mixing Bowl
- Cookie Cutters
- Oven Mitts
- Dutch Whisk
- Handmade Simmer Pots
This is a great option for when you have a large number of people to gift, and you just want to give something small, but thoughtful. A simmer pot is simply a package of fragrant ingredients that you add to a pot of simmering water, and it fills your house with amazing smells! I made a Christmas-themed combination of cinnamon, dried oranges, and cranberries as well as a more Fall themed combination of dried apples, pears, and ginger. This is such a great idea for a housewarming gift!
Items:
- Dried Oranges
- Cinnamon Sticks
- White Cloves
- All Spice
- Star Anise
- Dried Apples
- Dried Pears
- Dried Cranberries
- Dried Ginger
- Bags for easy Packaging
- Simmer Pot for Higher Quality Basket
- Christmas Ribbon
- Hemp Rope
Local Items Basket
I am partial to this idea, considering I am a local store… However, I do find that people love a basket full of different, unique items. Some items to be on the lookout for when shopping locally include; a Handmade Christmas Card, handmade candles, a unique cute mug, cozy socks, gift cards to local stores, handmade cozy blankets, and even specialty items that you can’t make or prefer from a local store. These items fit well in a basket and are often enjoyed by the recipient. Try to avoid items that are likely to just be thrown away after a couple of of days, like small trinkets or ultra low-quality items.
Tips for Assembling Your Basket
- Choose your basket wisely: If you pick a large basket, but only have a few small items your items will look smaller and less significant. If you have a small basket with large items or too many items your basket can look sloppy. I really like this basket and have found that it works for several different kinds of gift baskets.
- Utilize your Tissue Paper: Not only does tissue paper add a pop of color, but it can also be used to shape your basket. If you wish one item sat a little taller than another, stuff a little tissue paper under it!
- Try a Gift Box: Sometimes boxes can be easier to design and transport! Here is a good option.
Homemade Christmas Gift Basket Ideas
This time of year is so special to us at the Flour Barn Bakery and we hope you love these diy Christmas gift basket ideas. Take the leap and make a family member or best friend a thoughtful and personal Homemade Gift Basket for their Christmas gift. If you are in the Columbus area, be sure to join us December 18th at 6 pm at French Hen Farms for our annual Christmas Gift Basket Bar! Let us know what ideas you come up with and have a Merry Christmas!
