With just a few days left until Christmas, there’s a good chance your gift-buying budget is just about maxed out. Here are some easy, inexpensive and thoughtful gifts you can whip up yourself with minimal time and just a few steps. You might even have some of what you need on-hand already. And the best part? They don’t look or feel like “last-minute gifts.”
Christmas Stovetop Potpourri
The scents of citrus, cranberries and spice are unmistakably festive. Who wouldn’t love getting all the ingredients together in a jar, ready for simmering? It’s easy, fun and cheap, too. Put together a few jars for neighbor gifts or to have on-hand if guests drop by unexpectedly. Find complete instructions and free printable gift tags here.
Cinnamon Honey Butter
If you’ve been doing any holiday baking, chances are you already have everything you need to make this sitting in your kitchen: butter, cinnamon, honey and powdered sugar. It’s delicious on waffles, rolls, muffins, pancakes – just about anything made from dough. Whip up a batch, put it in cute jars and you have several gifts. Find the complete recipe here.
M&M Cookies in a Jar
Maybe you meant to bake but never got around to it. That’s OK! Layer all the dry ingredients in a jar, tie it up with ribbon and attach the full recipe for a fun and easy gift that will come in a handy when post-holiday cookie cravings hit. Get the details here.
Holiday Movie Night
Get a gift card for a few months of a streaming service, like Netflix, put it in a microwave popcorn bucket with a few boxes of movie candy and some sodas, and you have a fun gift that’s perfect for a wide range of age groups and interests.
Money Tree
Cash is the ultimate last-minute gift. You can make it creative by folding into the shape of a Christmas tree. It’s cute, easy and makes cash so much more giftable. See the tutorial here.
Mini Emergency Kit
There isn’t anyone who wouldn’t appreciate having a kit filled with those little things they can never find when they need them. Take a plastic travel soap holder or small metal box and fill it with a few Band-Aids, mini hand sanitizer, a Shout wipe, safety pins, lip balm, antacids, pain reliever and more. It might not be glamorous, but it will become someone’s favorite gift ever when they can find exactly what they need in a pinch.
Need more ideas? Take a look at another list of budget-friendly, last-minute gifts.