Christmas homemade gifts ideas

Searching Christmas homemade gifts ideas?  We are pretty excited to share with you a few Christmas homemade gifts ideas with you that may get your creative juices flowing.  

Homemade gifts to give are the best!  What are good homemade gifts for Christmas you ask?  What talent do you have to share with others would be my answer.  Creative homemade gifts will be the talk of your Christmas holiday.

Does your family exchange Christmas homemade gifts?  I have to say, those homemade gifts for Christmas are my favorite!  Clothing goes out of style and wears out, technology goes out of date and no longer works, but those homemade gifts?  They stay with us forever...

My grandfather was big into making gifts for our family, he was an excellent woodworker, amongst other hobbies he pursued.  I had thought my days of receiving homemade gifts had passed when he did, but then a friend I met through work began to really get into woodworking, and can I tell you how amazing his work is?  Reminds me of my grandfather's woodworking days so much which makes my heart go pitter patter.  

My friend had worked at another branch office and transferred to our office a few years back and began sharing his homemade gifts with us.  The first year we worked together during Christmas, I was so happy to walk into my office and see this lovely wood cut tree perched on my desk with a note from "Santa".  Do you see how cute it is?

It is a substantial piece and nothing like a store bought gift you would purchase, I can assure you of that.  I loved the way he added Merry Christmas to this tree, and personalized it specifically for me.  This cute wood tree comes out every year somewhere in our home, but I have never shared it with you before today.  

Some of my cherished pieces I like to keep all to myself and enjoy them while they are displayed.  This year, I thought what a great idea to share them since homemade gifts are my favorite gifts of all.   

The following year I received this adorable, very sturdy wood Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.  If you know me at all, then you know I am a huge fan of all vintage Christmas cartoons that I grew up with.  You can just bet Rudolph was seen at least once, if not multiple times every holiday season in our home.  Isn't he so handsome?

Rudolph is like a puzzle you put together every year when he makes his grand entrance.  I thought Bentley may be curious about him which typically leads to mischief, but he walked up to him and was like okay, you can stay, we will be friends.  It was actually cute, he went over and laid beside him when I first brought him home that year.  

I added the ornaments to his neck and thought he looked perfect beside our vintage 1950's toy chest.  I have a lot of fun putting him together each year.  This year I actually mixed up the legs and that got a chuckle out of myself when I realized what I did.  

In years prior, he sat in our guest room on top of a chest of drawers, but I knew he would be the perfect addition to our old fashioned Christmas this year in our entryway.  The perfect touch to our cozy cottage, but we are not stopping there.

Last year I received this beautiful wood sled from Santa, and can I tell you how beautiful this piece is?  

My friend always takes such care in his projects, making sure each piece is branded with the year it was received on the back or bottom.  I love that added special touch so I can always remember the year I received it and when we worked together.  

"Santa" would always leave a gift on my desk for me with a note from him, but I always knew it was a certain someone in our office.  He has such beautiful craftsmanship in his woodworking with such attention to detail.  I asked if he would be willing to open a woodworking shop so I could purchase from him, but he just laughed and said it was a hobby.  I can hear his boisterous laugh right now in my mind, miss you my friend.   

"Santa" retired last year, and I fell not so far behind him a few months later for different reasons.  I wonder what he is up to in his workshop this year for Christmas?  I can just imagine he is creating away, making new pieces for Santa's workshop to share with all of the good boys and girls.  All of those goodies will find their way into his Santa sack that just pull on your heartstrings from year to year.

Not only did Santa create and make these wonderful pieces, but he also has a Santa sleigh that appears in local parades, and he also hands out gifts to children during the holidays.  This particular Santa is the best since he is always so full of Christmas cheer and spreading it everywhere he goes year round, not just during the holidays.  

So in case you wonder to yourself if homemade gifts are better than store bought gifts, I can assure you they are.  Teenagers may not always appreciate the gift at the time, but I can guarantee you when they grow up, they will hold those pieces near and dear to their hearts.  

I recall the year my grandfather made a wood paper towel holder for me.  I was young, a teen, and I loved it since he made it, but I thought to myself what am I supposed to do with this?  Having my own home was not even a blip on the radar in my mind, but I can tell you that I used that wood paper towel holder in my first apartment, and still have it today.  

These special gifts will stay with me for the rest of my life, and I hope the next person who receives them cherishes them as I have.  

Just this past week, I decided to take my own advice and make a homemade gift.  I am no Santa, nor am I a woodworker despite my want to learn all the things, but I did make a tulle wreath.  Actually, it was the first wreath I have made out of tulle.  I will tell you they are very time consuming, but you can make one while watching your shows on DVR.  I would say five Hallmark Christmas movies and you will have your wreath assembled.  This wreath took me about 10 hours to assemble, then I began embellishing it.

Now you may think Cara, I do not have the time to make one of these for someone, can't I just buy it?  Well, you can, but I know it would mean more to someone if it came from your own hands, crafting, creating, making it yourself.  I know that is how I feel anyway.

What you will need to make a tulle wreath:

1. Wire wreath form of your size choice 
2. 3 different colors of tulle (you could choose more than three, but this is what I went with)
3. Scissors

How to make a tulle wreath:

• Begin by cutting the tulle into strips (the width of the ribbon, by about 3 inches)
• Feed the strip through one wire of the wreath and tie into a knot leaving the remainder of the tulle poufy as you see below
• I attached the tulle ribbon to each of the 4 wires of the wreath form, and began working my way around the wreath alternating colors as I went
• Once you have worked your way around the wreath, you can add embellishments of your choosing if you desire
• I added pipe cleaners to my tulle wreath by making them appear to be coiled springs coming out of the wreath
• I also added jingle bells, and a NOEL word sign to this wreath

TIP: To make the springs, I wrapped the pipe cleaner around the wire of the wreath to secure it and left it coming out the wreath with the rest of the length of the pipe cleaner.  Then I took a pencil and rolled the pipe cleaner around the pencil and pulled away the pencil.  It will leave a coil like spring on the wreath.  

I love the movement in the colors, it actually reminds me a bit of fire for some reason.  You can leave your wreath plain as I have it shown above which is what my husband and mother prefer, but I like a little extra.  Those embellishments are what I like to think made the wreath a bit more festive.  Video found below to show more detail.

You may wonder are homemade gifts better than store bought?  I'd like to tell you yes, and I hope you agree with us after reading our post today.  

Do any of these homemade gifts inspire you to create something for a loved one?  I hope so.  I am sure you may be surprised, but they will love having something made by you that they can cherish always.  My gifted handmade pieces are the ones I keep near and dear to my heart. 

When my husband made the built in for me, I was over the moon.  I still smile to myself when I open those cabinet doors, and think of what was once in it's place.  Some days I think back to when we were making it, both of us on vacation from work, and choosing to make a cabinet rather than go somewhere on vacation.  Time is so precious, and it just goes way too fast.  It has already been four years since we completed that cabinet.  

I am happy for the memories we have shared together in our cozy cottage.  I do not think folks take time out of their busy days enough to stop and think about all that they do have and have accomplished throughout the year and their lives.  I like to think I have learned a lot this past year, and one of those things being to stop and take the time to breathe, smell the flowers, just be, enjoy life, my surroundings, and family.

That rascally pup has become the child we never had, this home, the place where we live life, creating a home perfect for us.  Notice I did not say the perfect home, but the one that is perfect for us.  Perfection is in the eye of the beholder, I can think of someone who may have said I had on rose colored glasses when we purchased this home, but I saw the potential here, and enjoy continuing to see our home blossom into the loving home we have created here.  I am proud at what we have accomplished here, but we are not finished yet.    

None of us are perfect, so try to see the perfection in each person, keep from tearing others down.  We are only on this earth for such a short time, why not make it enjoyable for all, including yourself.   Sometimes words spoken can be very hurtful, they may be eventually forgiven, but never forgotten so try to refrain in speaking them in the first place.  

Be a good citizen like what we discussed during Thanksgiving.  It always makes me feel good when I am able to help someone with something, or build one's confidence by giving a compliment.  You never know how much another person needs to hear it or appreciate the help given.  

Living life by the Golden Rule was something that was instilled in me at a young age, and I like to think it still holds a lot of merit in today's society.  As we begin winding down this holiday season, I just like to put out there to put your best foot forward, and let the world see the best version of yourself.  It is amazing how much your light will shine in others if you project it out to the world.