DIY Gifts Ideas for an Eco-Friendly Holiday

Part of our plan for having a more eco-friendly holiday this year is to make more of the gifts we give. We’ve been making handmade gifts for years because we love to craft and find the act of making something for someone we love meaningful, but this year we have an additional motivation: to buy and ship less while giving from the heart! Below we’ve gathered ideas for gifts you can make yourself whether you are a novice DIY-er or a seasoned crafting vet. Making a few (or all) of your gifts this year is good for your creativity and for the planet!

Good DIY Gifts for Beginners

Reusable Cloth Napkins. A sustainable gift that can replace paper napkins for good.

Aprons – make them Christmas themed or not! This is a great beginner sewing project.

Sachet. The gift the gives good-smelling drawers all year long!

Santa Sack. An alternative to wrapping and a great way to haul presents from house to house.

Bag holder for gathering plastic bags to reuse or recycle them!

Embellished Pillow. Use felt or buttons or ribbon. The options are endless!

Peg People Family Members. We made our entire family for a gift for our parents (the grandparents). It was so fun to figure out each person’s distinguishing features and style.

Harder (but doable) DIY Gift Projects

reusable shopping bag tutorial — Reusable Shopping Bag. Bonus points for this one since it’s handmade and helps the receiver use less plastic!

Embroidered Family Portrait. Easy to customize!

picture of passport cover — Passport Cover or Business Card Holder

Tea Caddy/Wallet. Here is a similar smaller version.

Interested in learning more about making sustainable changes to your holiday traditions? Take our Eco Holiday Challenge and commit to doing better this year. Register to receive tips and inspiration in your inbox here.

Need a bit more guidance in making this change? Use our Badge Guide and earn the Eco Holiday Hero Badge. The badge walks you through three steps that will get you well on your way to being an Eco Holiday Hero!

Let us know what your favorite gifts to make and give are in the comments below or over on Instagram or Facebook.