By Carys Matthews

Published: Tuesday, 08 November 2022 at 12:00 am


From homemade cards to cosy candles and festive decorations, get inspired to make beautiful homemade gifts for friends and family this Christmas 2022 with our craft guides.

Making your own gifts can be a thoughtful and more sustainable way to celebrate Christmas and is a relaxing activity to do on a cold and rainy afternoon.

If you’ve not got time to craft, find more Christmas gift inspiration with our selection of delicious Christmas hampers for foodies or nature and bird identification books perfect for stocking fillers.

Christmas cards and wrapping paper

Rather than buying bundles of gift cards and wrapping paper, why not create your own countryside-inspired festive designs and send your family and friends hand-crafted greetings this Christmas?

Nature inspired leaf print card

Make your own handmade Christmas with this easy step by step festive leaf-print card guide.

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Holly Christmas cards

Gather a handful of leaves on your next winter walk and make personalised Christmas cards for friends and family.

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How to make holly leaf Christmas cards/Credit Enya Todd

Pyramid card

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Woodblock print mistletoe and holly card

Create your own rustic mistletoe and holly block-print cards for friends and family this Christmas with our easy step by step how to guide.

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Wrapping paper and gift tags

Create your own beautiful gift wrap and tags for friends and family with our easy to follow step by step guide for string block-printing.

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Christmas baking

Spiced pear, rye and chocolate brownie

These delicious brownies, topped with in-season pears, are easy to make and perfect for winter baking.

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Spiced pear, rye and chocolate brownie recipe/Credit: Jason Ingram

Spiced Christmas biscuits

Hang tempting treats from the tree with this super-simple recipe from BBC Good Food, perfect for making with kids.

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Stollen mince pies

Treat your friends and family to a hot mince pie this Christmas with this easy recipe.

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Mince pie recipe (Photo by: Laura Kate Bradley via Getty Images)

Candy cane lollipops

These pretty sweet treats take just 15 minutes to make from just three ingredients – perfect as a last-minute edible gift or stocking filler.

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Candy cane lollipops from BBC Good Food

Festive decorations

Natural Christmas garland

Celebrate the vitality of nature in the colder months with a Christmas garland made using foraged items, says Lake District florist Rachel Wardley.

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Add foraged ingredients to the garland

Birch Advent Candleholder

Here’s how to make a natural and festive Christmas candleholder at home – it makes a great display for your holiday table.

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Make your own Birch advent candleholder – Image © KarolinaJönsson and Norstedts

Rustic Christmas bauble

Create this simple but beautiful gift for a loved one by following our easy guide to making your own tree decorations.

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Simple festive candles

Keep cosy on the stormiest of days by lighting homemade candles – make them in advance to present as gifts at Christmas.

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Rustic jam jar candle

An easy step by step guide to making a homemade candle for Christmas.

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Jam jar Christmas candle (Photo by: Getty Images)

Handmade gifts for adults

Fragrant handmade soap

This easy craft is lots of fun, experiment with scent, colour and decoration to create the perfect gift for friends or family.

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Handmade Christmas soap (Photo by: Steve Sayers)

The perfect sloe gin recipe

Try making this delicious sloe gin recipe in the autumn months and enjoy a warming sup in the colder months. It also makes the perfect personal Christmas gift for any gin lover.

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Homemade sloe liquor in a glass bottle with greeting card as small present for Christmas/Credit: Getty Images

Peppered cider apple chutney

A delicious peppery apple chutney which makes a perfect gift for any cheese lover.

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Apple chutney/Credit: Getty Images

 Teacup candles

Follow this easy step-by-step guide to create the perfect teacup candle, which makes a lovely Christmas gift. Make it as festive as you like, with seasonal scents and decorations.

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Homemade teacup candles

Handmade gifts for children

Make a wooden tic tac toe set

Whatever your age, everyone loves a game of noughts and crosses – and this traditional Tic-Tac-Toe game is ideal to play at a festive gathering. Click through to make your own set.

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Pebble dominoes

Recreate your own version of dominoes using nothing more than beach pebbles collected on an afternoon walk, some white paint and varnish.

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Make your own pebble dominoes – perfect given as a homemade gift (Photo by: Steve Sayers)

Fly a kite!

There are few joys as simple and exhilarating as flying a brightly coloured kite in the breeze. For great family fun, build your own kite with this easy step-by-step guide.

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