19 Creative Homemade Holiday Gifts in a Jar
Want to get creative with your gift giving this year? From sugar scrubs and hand-poured candles to bath salts and no-bake desserts, we’ve collected some of the best homemade gifts-in-a-jar to inspire your DIY holiday season.
1. Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
Making a dozen cookies for all of your friends, neighbors and coworkers might be a little more than you want to take on this season. But never fear. You can still give them the same delicious present in the form of chocolate chip cookie mix – complete with baking instructions, of course.
See more: 12 Days of Christmas Cookie Recipes
2. Infused Oils
Friends or family members who love to cook are guaranteed to appreciate infused oils. The best part about this idea is how versatile it is. Add lemon peel, fresh herbs, garlic – your options are nearly endless.
3. Lavender Bath Salts
We’re all guilty of feeling stretched thin from time to time, especially around the holiday season. Help your always-on-the-go friends take a breather with some luxurious lavender bath salts.
See more: 5 Ways to Cook With Fresh Lavender
4. Peppermint Sugar Scrub
Most of us know what it’s like to suffer from dry skin in wintertime. But if you whip up a batch of this peppermint sugar scrub, dry patches will be a distant memory in no time.
See more: 12 Perfect Peppermint Recipes for the Holidays
5. Hot Chocolate Mix
We all need more hot chocolate in our lives, right? You can easily solve this dilemma for your loved ones by presenting them with this decadent hot chocolate mix in a jar. Tying the recipe directions on the jar with a festive ribbon makes it even better.
6. Simmering Pot in a Jar
Turn the holiday nostalgia up a notch with a beautifully decorated simmering pot jar. Customize this to your personal preference using ingredients such as lemons and oranges, cinnamon sticks and cloves, apple slices and nutmeg, or cranberries and lime.
7. Balsamic Fig Jam
Homemade jams and jellies are always a crowd pleaser. But why not stepped outside the traditional strawberry and grape box to wow your loved ones with a balsamic fig jam this year?
8. No Bake Cheesecake Jars
In addition to being a fun-filled addition to any dinner party, these no bake cheesecake jars would make for a charming gift for the sweet tooth in your life. It only takes half an hour to make and you don’t even have to turn on the oven.
9. Pickled Cucumbers
Know someone who is downright crazy about pickles? This crunchy garlic and dill variety is a surefire way to put a smile on anyone’s face, especially if they’re fond of savory, tangy treats.
10. Sweet and Spicy Pepper Jelly
This accommodating sweet and spicy pepper jelly recipe allows you to tweak your pepper jelly from sweet heat to spicy to account for all the taste buds on your shopping list. Throw in a box of water crackers and some goat cheese and you’ll be the gift giver to beat this year.
11. Cinnamon Honey Butter
Smothered on a hot biscuit, swirled into creamy oatmeal or simply eaten by the spoonful, this easy-to-make cinnamon honey butter is a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
12. Flavored Cooking Salts
Homemade Flavored Salts make the perfect present for the home cooks in your life. Made with fresh herbs and spices, each salt blend offers bright flavors for seasoning everything from meat and fish dishes to roasted vegetables or popcorn.
13. Bath Fizzies
There’s something so comforting about settling into a warm bath at the end of a long day, even one filled with fun activities. These bath fizzies are quick and easy to make, and you can adapt the scents and colors based on the recipient you have in mind.
14. Detox Bath
Detoxing is all the rage these days, so you can rest easy knowing this detox bath in a jar will be well received by friends and family alike. Be sure to write down the instructions and attach them to the jar before gifting.
15. Homemade Soup Mixes
You can make an impressive variety of soup mixes, which means it’s time to get creative in the kitchen. These would be especially excellent gifts for neighbors and coworkers.
16. Gingerbread Body Butter
Body butters are thicker and more nourishing for dry skin, making them a wonderful present to give away during the winter season. This gingerbread one gets bonus points for being particularly festive.
17. Homemade Candles
How charming are homemade candles? While you can certainly use any glass jar you have on hand, these vintage-style milk jars will have everyone questioning if you made or purchased these beauties.
18. Peppermint Foot Soak
Peppermint has been used as an aromatherapy tool for ages, so it’s no wonder it makes for a great addition to this Epsom salt foot soak.
See more: Herbs for Health: The Benefits Growing in Your Garden
19. Barbecue Rub
When you present the barbecue lovers in your life with this delicious barbecue rub, you’re really gifting them with countless delectable dinners. And chances are you already have everything you need to make this one in your spice cabinet already.