Budget-Friendly Diy Holiday Gift Ideas Your Friends & Family Will Love

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According to a recent analysis by NerdWallet, Americans will spend $242 billion on holiday gifts in 2025. And with 82% of people gearing up to buy new presents for their loved ones, individual spending will be around $1,107. If you're not comfortable dropping this kind of cash on gifts alone, consider DIYing them for your friends and family. This approach won't just save you money but will also make the recipients feel special. They'll be especially touched if you customize your presents to represent their personality or suit their hobbies and interests.

From gingerbread figurines to custom perfumes, a personalized gift will bring a smile to your loved one's face. Other handmade items like scarves and salt dough ornaments are also great, DIY-able gifts for the holiday lovers in your life. Excited to learn more about the kind of holiday gifts you can prepare yourself without throwing your budget in disarray? Here are 23 ideas your friends and family will love.

Need a pretty gift that portrays the magical wonders of Christmas? DIY a snow globe at home. You need a clear jar and some artificial snow, like Beistle's 2-Ounce Sparkling pack, to set the scene. Now, get your favorite miniature holiday decorations, such as bottle brush trees, elves, or gift packages on a sleigh, and glue them in place. You can even forage for fallen pinecones, berries, and needles for a more affordable approach. To personalize the gift, print out a passport-size photo of the recipient and put it in using a paper clip. In case the jar is too deep, add some small white stones to the bottom and cover it with snow to give your decor a little boost.

For a cute, cuddly holiday gift, try making a stuffed gingerbread man figurine. Simply cut out some scrap fabric in the shape of a gingerbread man, and sew all but one of the edges together. If you aren't comfortable sewing, use a dedicated adhesive, like Aleene's Fabric Fusion Needlenose Glue, instead. From the opening, fill your gingerbread figure with pillow stuffing. Seal the opening using the method of your choice, and then add finishing touches to make each figurine unique to your recipient. 

Don't give your friends and family any old candle for the holidays. Instead, turn a Luminessence's Unscented White Pillar Candle into a bespoke gift with a simple DIY. Start by grabbing a few wood slices like Hariendny's unfinished circles, and a pack of something like Crafter's Square wood beads to form a sturdy base for your candles. Stain or paint the base in a shade of your choosing, and use twine or ribbon to adorn the candle with holiday motifs like pine needles, berries, and dried orange slices.

Surprise your literature-loving friends and family with a book-inspired tree ornament. All you have to do is get something like a Christmas House D-I-Y Ornament Ball from Dollar Tree and fill it with curled strips of "book pages." Instead of wrecking a perfectly good book, print out pages of lines from your loved one's favorite books and cut them into strips instead. Decorate the top of the ornament with a bow, twine, or winter foliage. And using stickers or sharpie, write a phrase on the outside. This project is great because it's quick to put together, but with a super personal touch.

Try making personalized coaster sets for a gift that's practical and affordable. First, pick your base — leftover scrap wood slices or tile samples like Daltile's semi-gloss almond tiles work great. Adhere pictures on top of your base using dishwasher-safe Mod Podge. You can choose actual photos for a super personal touch. If you don't have access to printed photos, opt for holiday-themed images instead. Follow up by adding felt pads or adhesive cork strips the bottom of the coasters, and you'll have a thoughtful, custom gift that won't scratch the recipient's furniture.

If you've gifted one too many candles in your day, give the gift of a simmer pot instead. This is a sustainable candle alternative that will fill any home with a seasonal scent. To a glass container, add a mix of sliced and dehydrated fruits, like lemons, oranges, apples, or pears. Mix in other holiday favorites like cinnamon sticks, rosemary sprigs, and whole cloves. This is a great bespoke gift because you can adjust the components depending on what scents the recipient likes best. 

A bag of coffee can go a long way as a gift. But to make it a bit more intentional, place the bag of beans in a beautiful glass jar. You can find cheap ones at the thrift store if you don't have one available already. For an extra personal touch, get a couple of small decorative pouches (we like Tapleap's small Christmas drawstring bags). Fill them with sugar, creamers, or holiday spice packets, affix to the jar, and you'll have a gift ready to keep your loved ones caffeinated all winter.

Hot cocoa is another holiday favorite with great gifting potential. Just package it thoughtfully so it doesn't feel basic. Start by laying down a bag of cocoa on a small holiday-themed tray and surround it with a bag of homemade spice mix, chocolate chips, marshmallows, sprinkles, and candy canes. If you want to complete your gift recipient's hot cocoa experience, give them a festive mug alongside the kit, like this affordable ceramic option with a red holiday bow from Walmart.

Gift baskets look gorgeous, but can be expensive to assemble with all new items. If you like the look but not the cost, start early and thrift unique items for your giftee based on their passions. For instance, if someone loves planning picnics, they'd appreciate a woven basket, a cozy blanket, snack containers, and glasses. Similarly, a vintage collector would love discontinued toys, rare or original vinyl records, vintage art, or other valuable thrift store finds. Mix and match different items to find the right balance for whomever you're shopping. 

While convenient, gift cards rarely scream "I put thought into this for you." So, make your gift cards feel more thoughtful with a mini Christmas tree which you can find at Dollar Tree for only $1.50. Decorate it as you would a life-sized one: battery-operated LED lights, miniature ornaments, tinsel, and bows all go a long way. Then, leave a few branches open for the cards and hang them using clothespins. Take the DIY even further by decorating the clothes pins with paint, or even some glitter for extra sparkle.

This idea is perfect for you if you have a friend who likes setting up Christmas scenery or a winter village. To make this creative Christmas decoration with household items, use aluminum foil or craft paper to form the top and bottom parts of a snowman. Then, cover them with yarn individually and add details like a nose and eyes, and accessories like scarves or hats. Go the extra mile by creating a landscape for the figurines with cotton batting, or dust them with artificial snow on their clothes for a whimsical finish.

For your those who love to take it easy, bath salts are a great gift. Start with a jar, some Epsom salt like Amazon Basics' unscented pack, and sea salt. Layer in both salts in equal quantity and add a little baking soda to make bath water feel silkier. Then sprinkle in dried florals, like lavender or rose, which both look beautiful and smell great. Include a mesh bag for your recipient to pour the salt mixture into before bathing, since it prevents any of the florals from clogging the drain.

For the people in your life with a traditional fireplace, make a homemade fire starter to keep them warm through the winter. The project uses silicone cupcake molds for to hold the contents of the starters, which include a candle wick, wax, and various dried florals, pinecones, and whole spices like cinnamon sticks. Once the wax sets, you can remove the mold and have a gift that will keep your loved one's home both warm and fragrant. This DIY is an opportunity to get creative, so try foraging locally for a varied collection of dry, fallen materials. You can even add dried citrus peels, or other whole spices you may have on hand, like cloves or star anise. Once the wax is set and you've removed the molds, pile them into a wicker basket the recipient can display near their fireplace.  

Chocolate is always a welcome gift for the sweet tooth in your friend group. However, if you want to get more bang for your buck, split a large chocolate box to cover several gifts by creating fancy holiday chocolate wreaths. Using six to eight chocolates or so, wrap each piece in cellophane and tie off with a thin decorative twine. Connect the ends to form a circle and your wreath will be ready for hanging. To spruce up your wreath, loop in artificial greenery, dramatic bows, pine cones, or berries.

High-end perfumes look great as gifts, but your wallet won't like them very much. So, make them at home for a fraction of the cost and customize the fragrance for each recipient to make them feel special. Get a pack of roller bottles, like Peasug's Amber ones, or thrift beautiful containers. Start by adding a few drops of an oil like Everyday Beauty's Organic Fractionated Coconut Oil to a bowl to serve as your carrier oil. Then, add in essential oils and mix them thoroughly. Be cautious and only put in only a few drops at a time, or the smell will be too strong. Finally, stick pretty labels on the bottle and adorn their necks with some twine and greenery.

Winter essentials, like hats, socks, and gloves, are ideal accessories if you're putting together a winter care package. However, they may feel a bit plain if you get them from a discount store and leave them as is. To easily dress up a basic winter accessory, grab a pack of Crafter's Square Iron On Patches from Dollar Tree. Position the patches and cover with a thin cloth or parchment paper, then press a hot iron over the design to activate the glue. Gift the newly decorated accessories with just the patches, or adorn them further with things like rhinestones or miniature Christmas ornaments.

Finding it difficult to nail down a sentimental gift for your parents? Consider framing a large family picture and gifting it to them. Look for a heart-warming photo and have it printed at your local CVS, Walgreens, or Walmart at a competitive price. Stick the print to a backing, such as a Readi-Board White Foam Board, and frame it with scrap wood pieces. Alternatively, check thrift stores for antiquated frames if you want a gorgeous border around your photo. Use it as is, or give it a new lease on life with something like Amaco's Rub n Buff Wax Metallic Finish. For a final touch, package it up in gift wrap materials you already have at home.

Throw pillows are ideal for people who love dressing up their home with fancy accessories. However, plain pillows won't garner much adoration. So, personalize their covers using pretty stencils, a foam brush, and paint. Add initials of the recipient's name, use Christmas themed decorations, or brush on holiday-related words, such as joy, cheer, and merry. After the paint is cured, tie a shimmery or velvety bow around your pillows and hang gift tags from them to complete the look.

Though slightly impersonal, coffee mugs are ideal gifts for people you don't know intimately, like your work friends. However, getting nice mugs for all your colleagues can get expensive fast. So, buy a couple of plain mugs like the Royal Norfolk White Stoneware Mugs, and give them a marble-like appearance. Simply decant a few different colors of nail polish in a bowl of water, swirl them around with a paint brush, and dip your mugs inside. Brush on some dishwasher-safe sealant over the design, tie a little bow, and fill your mug with candy, chocolate bars, thrifted Christmas ornaments, or office supplies.

Do you have a friend or family member that is always cooking something delicious? If yes, they'll appreciate kitchen tools as holiday gifts. But brand-new ones can be quite expensive. For a budget-friendly alternative, buy a few discount cutting boards, such as Cooking Concepts Bamboo Cutting Board, and a wood burning tool, like Aoutk's, to imprint a permanent design. Start by drawing your design on the board first with pencil — your loved one's initials, a holiday-themed design, or a combination of both are all great options. Then use the wood burning tool to trace over the design and make it permanent. Wrap it up in a pretty paper, or go the extra mile and add it to a gift basket with other kitchen essentials. 

If your loved ones like hanging Christmas tree ornaments for their pets, DIY a salt dough ornament featuring their paw prints. You'll want to avoid making mistakes everyone makes when DIYing salt dough Christmas tree ornaments, like using incorrect proportions for the dough ingredients. So follow a recipe closely, and roll the dough into small balls. Then you're ready to get the indentations of your friends' pets –- but be sure to do it while the dough is still wet enough. Bake it at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for two or three hours to let it harden. Once it cools, paint and decorate it with trimmed conifer needles, artificial berries, and pinecones.

These DIY scarves will be a hit among your friends and family if you experience chilly weather around Christmas. Get a few rolls of chunky knit yarn in a shade of your choosing to get started. Look for clearance bins at stores like Walmart to stay within your set budget. Tie a slip-knot on one end of the yarn and start looping and pulling yarn through each loop to create a chain-like pattern, which may be familiar if you know how to crochet. Once you're done making the scarf itself, add any finishing touches like bows or fringe for extra pizzaz. 

Do you have fond memories of donning ugly sweaters every Christmas morning before opening presents? DIY them this year to keep your holiday tradition alive. Buy a few cheap yet comfortable sweaters, such as Amazon Essentials' Fleece Crewneck Sweatshirt. Power on your hot glue gun and start adhering your decorations. Tassels, garlands, pompoms, garish ornaments, sequins, and ribbons are all welcome. You can even adhere battery-operated string lights, like Fairdeer's 6 Pack of Fairy Lights, if you want your genius creation to shine brightly. Let your imagination run wild to fashion a truly over the top piece.