Holiday Giving Guide Natural & DIY Gift Ideas

Holiday Giving Guide

NATURAL & DIY GIFT IDEAS

NINA NELSON

WHAT'S INSIDE

INTENTIONAL GIVING

GIFTS FOR WOMEN

GIFTS FOR MEN

GIFTS FOR KIDS

BATH & BODY GIFTS

GIFTS FOR HOME

EDIBLE GIFTS

FOR THE PERSON WITH EVERYTHING

PRETTIFY YOUR GIFTS

INTENTIONAL GIVING Several years ago, I was introduced to a few ideas that changed my life. As my husband and I were looking for ways to save money so we could get out of debt, I stumbled upon natural living. Turns out going green can save you a lot of money, especially when you take the DIY route.

Then I discovered the idea of minimalism and living more intentionally with less.

I saw just how much stuff we had that we truly didn’t need. It was ridiculous, really, how much we’d accumulated. And as we shed the excess, life became more about relationships and connections instead of stuff.

All of these ideas culminated one Advent Sunday morning when our pastor shared a video from Advent Conspiracy, a group that calls people to spend less and give more - more time, love and presence. It resonated deeply and I vowed then to take a different approach to gift giving. And it all started that Christmas.

Now, this book isn’t about Christmas. You don’t even have to celebrate Christmas to get a lot out of it.

It’s about giving.

While the focus is on natural gift ideas, I confess I have an ulterior motive. An invitation, really.

An invitation to approach giving more intentionally - with the intent to give more love instead of just more stuff.

Intentional gifts bless the recipient and don’t run you into debt. In our home, they tend to be handmade and eco-friendly along with some that are purchased (used and new) on a small budget.

I believe the gift ideas in this book will help you do just that. Because not only will you give natural gifts that show more love to the planet, but every part of the process will give you a chance to think about the recipient. To send loving thoughts their way and pour love into the gifts you give.

This book is also not just about Christmas because you can gift these items for any occasion.

I’m a huge fan of multipurpose, which is why the gifts I give and suggest aren’t isolated to one time of year (unless, of course, I’m crocheting a scarf).

You can use the gift ideas in this book for Christmas, sure. But they’re also handy for birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s, etc.

You could even use them as “just because” gifts. It’s really up to you.

I just hope that in these pages you’ll find the inspiration you’re looking for to give gifts that will be truly appreciated and that you find joy in giving.

This is my gift to you.

GIFTS FOR WOMEN I'll start off by saying that most gifts in this book are perfect for women. Except for maybe the beard oil. I don’t think that would go over well … So don’t feel like you need to just stick with the ideas in this section when it comes to giving your mom or sister something thoughtful and awesome.

Laundry Detergent

Herbal Bar Soap

Yes, laundry detergent. This has been requested by several women in my family as it’s practical and they love the different essential oil blends I use.

This is a great gift to make yourself or, if you'd rather buy, there are lots of options.

Simply package it in a glass jar, thread some twine through a metal scoop and tie a bow around the top.

Make it | Buy it

Make it | Buy it

Herbal Lip Balm

One of the best natural gifts around, DIY or otherwise. It's consumable, so it won't create clutter and it's great for stockings.

Make it | Buy it

Tasty Treats

Lotion Bars

Treats make wonderful gifts. Heck, any food does. Homemade sourdough bread and butter? Yes, please. Or how about a batch of your friend’s favorite cookies?

Super easy to make and can be poured into all kinds of different molds. Create heart-shaped bars, bar-shaped bars or whatever other shape suits your fancy.

There are so many possibilities when it comes to tasty treats and it really depends on what you know your recipient loves. Here’s what we like to give: Ice Cream: There’s lot of room for creativity with homemade ice cream and you have the pleasure of knowing that there aren’t nasty ingredients in it (so you can eat as much as you want, right? ;)).

Caramel Sauce: Add it to coffee, drizzle it over ice cream, use it as a dip for apples or enjoy it on a spoon. Homemade caramel sauce is a great gift. Just put it in a pretty jar.

Cookies: Make her favorite kind.

Jam: If you don’t have any homemade jam on hand, give her some from here.

Tea: Get her favorite loose leaf tea or kick Earl Grey up a notch a bit lavender buds (I do 1 tsp lavender per 2 tbsp Earl Grey). Make sure she has a way to infuse it.

Make it | Buy it

Bath Salts

I’ll use any excuse to take a bath, which is why I love bath salts. If your recipient also loves her baths, give her some delicious smelling bath salts.

Make it | Buy it

Experience Certificates

Give the present of your presence and make your own gift certificate to give her.

It can specify an activity, a length of time or whatever feels right for you.

One friend created one for each month of the year, with different frugal activities she and her mom enjoy doing together.

Art

One year for Mother’s Day, my husband took a picture of each of our kids and had it printed. He then spray painted some unused picture frames with spray paint leftover from a project At the bottom of each picture, he taped a piece of paper where he had written out the kids’ response to the question, “what’s something you love about mama?” It was a wonderful gift.

You (or your kids) can create any of a number of different kinds of art.

Choose what you feel most comfortable with.

GIFTS FOR MEN I’ll confess that I’ve had a bit of a challenge with natural gifts for the men in my life. Whenever I asked what they wanted, it was always something super specific.

And expensive.

But then I realized I was making it too complicated and for the majority of the men in my life, I give any of the following items and they are happily received. (I typically go for the super specific item for my husband.)

Shave Cream

After Shave

This whipped shave cream makes for a nice, smooth shave and leaves skin feeling delightfully soft.

After shave soothes the skin, tightens the pores and moisturizes. Give the gift of chemical-free happy skin.

Make it | Buy it

Make it | Buy it

Beard Oil

Shaving Accessories

I made this for my favorite hipster friend and he loved it. The fractionated coconut oil softened his beard and his skin. And the essential oil combination was subtle and pleasant. Here’s the recipe.

Because you've got to shave with something and these make excellent gifts.

Make it | Buy it Beard Balm

A solid at room temperature version of beard oil, this is another great option for the man who wants his beard to be well-groomed.

Make it | Buy it Bar Soap

They just can't have too much.

Make it | Buy it

Safety razor | Shave brush | Bowl

Salted Whiskey Caramels

Enough said.

Make it | Buy it Healing Lip Balm

I give this to my dad and brothers every Christmas - per their request.

This lip balm is infused with soothing herbs that help chapped lips heal while hydrating them. I usually omit the lavender or use wild orange essential oil in its place.

Make it | Buy it All-Purpose Balm

Man Coupons

I like to make my husband “Man Coupons.” It's always a really fun project and I love watching him unwrap them. The best part is watching him read through the coupons. Yes, there are the typical sexy coupons. But there are some fun ones, suited just to his personal tastes, like: Gravy … All. Over. Dinner.

You and Me Time. No kids. No computer.

Nap Time Massage Dessert of Your Choice Guys’ Night Out. And I Won’t Bug You At All. (Ok, I learned that my ability not to bug ends promptly at 2 a.m.)

This stuff is so good, we use it for everything. Owies. Tattoos. Sore muscles. Cracked skin. Seriously. It's amazing. There's a reason we call it The Balm.

Buy it

GIFTS FOR KIDS Every year, for ten days, my daughters are the same age. Yes, they’re only 11 1/2 months apart. Yes, we know how that happens. In addition to being born super close to each other, Eva and Ella (they both start with a short “e” and yes, that’s VERY confusing) have birthdays quite close to their cousin, who was born 11 days before Eva, which is the day before Ella’s birthday.

Confused yet? I am.

Anywho, since I was really good at getting pregnant, especially with my sistersin-law (like, all of them, twice), we deal with lots of back-to-back birthdays.

That’s a lot of parties. And, potentially, a lot of presents.

Since we’re not just frugal, but frugal minimalists, we’ve had to find creative ways to give gifts that are both budget-friendly and meaningful. I am too opposed to possessing meaningless junk to even give it as a gift. Plus did I mention I’m frugal? So, if you’re of a similar mindset/budget, here’s a list of gifts we’ve given over the years that kids have enjoyed:

Treats

Treats are always a hit. My kids love cookies, ice cream and apple pie. So why not make it for them as a gift?

I’m all for treats on special occasions.

Our friends also know that if the Nelsons are coming to a birthday party, we’re probably going to bring a batch of chocolate chip cookies in a Mason jar with a pretty bow as the gift. It’s just how we roll.

(And after the frenzy of opening presents has died down, guess which gift becomes most exciting.)

Plants

One year, we got invited to a joint birthday party for three siblings. I had a low gift budget, so my oldest picked out an inexpensive, handmade boat at the farmer’s market for his friend and the girls picked out the gifts for his sisters (their friends). Each girl got beautiful potted flowers to either keep inside or plant outdoors.

My girls thought it was a great idea and said they’d love to get their own flowers (or veggies).

Aromatheraphy Playdough

Bath Bombs

Bath bombs are a great gift to give to kids because they’re so much fun. Or, if you think the kids would love making them as much as my kids did, you gift them a bath bomb kit so they can make them and then add them to a bath. Double the fun!

Make it | Buy it

Ok, so I know a lot of moms hate playdough. I am not one of them. For me, the thirty minutes of quiet I get is worth the extra sweeping. Plus when I use calming essential oils in the recipe, like lavender, I get the added bonus of them being nice and serene when they’re done.

Make it | Buy it

Kits

Lessons

One year, my nieces and nephews got homemade bug collecting kits as gifts from us. Each kit contained a magnifying glass, pencil, notepad, bug collecting jar and flashlight. They didn’t even need to be wrapped as it all came in a tote bag for collecting their findings. Here are a couple more ideas:

There are a number of one-time lessons kids would enjoy, and if they love it, you could figure out ways to work more into the budget.

Horse-riding Swim Musical instrument Painting Archery Pottery Photography

Gardening Kit | Science Kit Experiences

Swimming. Fun museums. Movie dates at the dollar theater. We are huge on giving the gift of our presence. Often, this is what our kids want the most and they love hanging out with parents who aren’t preoccupied with work or the house.

Interest-Oriented Gifts

My oldest daughter is a very creative child. So we tend to gear her presents toward her interests in art. Once it was a ballet outfit found at a consignment shop. Another time it was drawing supplies. It changes each year depending on her interests.

Scavenger Hunts

We did this one year for our oldest.

We glued together two differentcolored pieces of construction paper.

One one side we wrote the final location and drew puzzle pieces on the other and cut them out. Each piece had a clue and hid them all over the house (and outside), with the first one taped on the ceiling above his bed.

He had a blast finding everything! And so did we. The present at the end was just a very cool bonus.

BATH & BODY GIFTS I think bath & body gifts typically come to mind first when people think of DIY or natural gifts. At least, that’s how it seems when I get on Pinterest around a major gift-giving holiday and all I see are recipes for bath salts, sugar scrubs and scented lotions.

And that’s totally great, because a lot of people love those things, they’re easy to make and because they get used, they won’t result in any clutter (yay!).

Give the gift in a gorgeous jar they can use later and they’ll probably love you for the rest of your life. Ok, they probably will anyway, but it couldn’t hurt.

Here are some of the top bath & body gift ideas: Body Scrub

Body Butter

Brown sugar body scrub is nourishing to the skin and super easy to make (if you're so inclined).

Body butter is a decadent gift that’s great anytime.

Make it | Buy it

Make it | Buy it

Bath Salts

Lip Scrub

Baths are wonderful in their own right.

But when you add relaxing essential oils and epsom salts, well, they’re just downright magnificent! At least, I think so. As do all the people I give my lavender cardamom bath salts to.

They’re a big hit.

Kissable soft lips are hard to come by in dry, cold months when everyone’s dealing with skin chapping. Ditto in dry, hot climates.

Make it | Buy it Shampoo Bars

Hey, haven’t I said soap before? Yes, yes I have. Because multipurpose gifts are awesome. And homemade soap is a gift that seems to be appreciated by all. When I gift soap, I make sure the smell is either really subtle or something I know the recipient loves.

Make it | Buy it

Make it | Buy it Herbal Salve

Know someone who has dry hands that need a little TLC? This balm is a big hit with all of our family members who work in healthcare, as well as my dad the herb farmer – it’s super versatile. Any essential oil blend will work, or you can leave it unscented.

Make it | Buy it

GIFTS FOR HOME Know someone who just bought a new house? Or a teen going off to college and you want to send them with a little home-related gift. Maybe you just don’t know what to give someone so you figured you’d default to something from the house.

Whatever the case, here are some natural home-related gift ideas: Laundry Detergent

Bar Soap

I mentioned this before, but I’m surprised at how many people ask me for my homemade laundry detergent as a gift. The request usually comes from my loved ones who buy eco-friendly detergents because they don’t want toxic chemicals but have no desire or time to make their own.

Homemade soap is always a great gift.

It’s fun to customize and people pretty much always have a need for it. I’ll usually add bar soap to a gift I’m already giving or bundle three together with some twine.

Make it | Buy it

Make it | Buy it

Dryer Balls

Beeswax Candles

Wool dryer balls are a wonderful, unique gift for the home. They’re all-natural, can be scented with essential oils and help reduce wrinkles and cut drying time. They’re often given in sets of four and a perfect project for any spare wool yarn you might have.

Candles are a great gift (to certain people - make sure they like candles), but it’s so hard to find just the right scent. And when you do, well, who knows what’s actually in them. That’s why I’m a huge fan of gifting (and receiving) all-natural, beeswax candles.

Make it | Buy it

Make it | Buy it

Unpaper towels

Herb Box

These unpaper towels are a great gift.

They’re absorbent and convenient to use and a great alternative to paper towels.

Herb boxes are the perfect place to plant leafy greens, lettuces and even micro greens. You can do any edible plants that grow in a smaller container, really.

Make it | Buy it Produce Bags

Reusable produce bags are a unique and practical gift that can be used over and over again.

Buy them

Fresh Meal

Here’s a great idea that’s pretty simple. Make a meal and drop it off at the end of the school day. When I make meals for people, I’ll use a disposable casserole tray from the Dollar Tree or pick one up at a thrift store for $.50 so they don’t have to worry about returning it to me.

Just be sure to find out before if they have any favorite meals and if they have any food allergies/sensitivities.

Recipes

Make it | Buy it Real Pantry Mixes

Give the gift of real food. These pre-made mixes add delicious flavor to a variety of meals using all-natural ingredients.

Buy it Beeswrap

This awesome product can be used in place of your typical plastic wrap. And it's reusable!

Buy it Apron

Aprons are a natural gift? Yes. Grease-stained clothing requires extra soap and water to remove spots.

Aprons are a great way to minimize extra washing and preserve clothes in the long run.

Make it | Buy it

EDIBLE GIFTS There are lots of other great edible gifts you can give.

This is something my brother and his wife excel at (he’s a trained chef and she’s a self-taught cake master). Each year, they set aside a few days before Christmas to whip up homemade treats for everyone on their list (they even do homemade dog treats for their dogs).

Here’s some of what they like to make (and some jar ideas for packaging them in): Honey Butter

Mulling Spices

Two of my favorite things all blended together to make a delicious, sweet, salty treat. Spread some on sourdough toast or homemade scones.

I use mulling spices all the time to make delicious spiced cider. The spices used look beautiful in a jar.

Make it

Make it

Caramel Sauce

Jam

I’m slightly obsessed with caramel sauce, especially the salted variety.

It’s super easy to make (if you don’t have any distractions) and a special treat for whoever you give it to.

If you have any homemade jam, consider giving that as a gift as it’s so simple and often much-appreciated.

Make it Vanilla

Homemade vanilla is one of the easiest DIY gifts you can give. You just need a little extra time for the vanilla to steep.

Make it

Sea Salt

There are so many kinds of yummy sea salt you can give. Himalyan salt.

Rosemary seasoning salt. Smoked salt. (Ok, now this feels like that one scene in Forrest Gump). Anyway … sea salt is good and makes a great gift. Especially in a cute jar.

Chocolate-Dipped Pretzels

These are ridiculously easy to make and, when dipped correctly, aresuper delicious. Who am I kidding? They're delicious even if they look like you just dropped them in the chocolate.

Make it Cinnamon Rolls

If you don't, you can always make some (or buy your favorite) to give to someone.

Make it Bread

Homemade bread is a special treat that most people don’t often get. If you love baking, try making loaves of bread for your recipient(s). Give them just the bread or add some honey butter or jam for an extra special touch.

Pie

Pie plates are easy to find at thrift stores and people are delighted that you made a pie just for them. It’s a simple but unique gift idea that isn’t often thought of. But it’s a good one.

Make your own signature pie or try my much-loved apple pie. The link below is for my gluten-free pie. Use regular all-purpose flour where it calls for GF flour if you don't need it to be gluten-free.

Make it

My mom is the queen of cinnamon rolls and I think if the only gift she ever gave my husband was a tray full of her homemade treats, he would be delighted.

Casseroles

Make it

Make it

Give the gift of pre-made meals!

Casseroles that can be popped in the freezer and then heated up at the end of a long day are great.

FOR THE PERSON WHO HAS EVERYTHING I want to tell you a bit about my dad ... He’s a great guy – funny, outgoing, friends with everyone he meets. A great cook. Incredibly hospitable.

He’s got a sassy side and likes to do things his own way (that’s where I get it from). And he’s the kind of guy who doesn’t wait for things to happen. Which means when he needs something, he goes out and gets it.

Which makes it incredibly difficult to buy gifts for him.

Before Christmas, or his birthday (which is a few weeks before), I ask him, “Is there anything in particular you want this year?” He usually raises his eyebrow and replies, “Nope. I needed ________, so I bought it.”

There was one year when he wanted me to crochet him a scarf – I was very happy to do it. But generally, he has zero items on his wish list which leaves me wondering what meaningful gift I can get him on special days (thoughtfulness is my love language).

Eventually, I learned to stop asking and, like my dad, took the situation into my own hands and decided that since Dad has everything he needs (or gets it himself), I would find a way to give him gifts without cluttering up my parents’ home with stuff he won’t use.

So if you need gift ideas for the person who has everything, these are the three options I typically choose from when it comes to giving to my Dad: Edible Gifts

Presence

My dad has a massive sweet tooth (also got that from him) and enjoys cookies, chocolates and pastries. So guess what? I like to oblige. He’s fond of many of the edible gifts in jars mentioned in the previous section.

I love spending time with my dad.

Like I mentioned before, he’s quite funny. Plus he tells some awesome stories of when he was growing up in Mexico (the sassy, independent spirit runs deep in our family).

Handwritten Notes

I think everyone loves to be appreciated and know that they make a difference in your life. There's something quite powerful about a simple note of appreciation. Bonus if you mention a specific moment or event that made an impact.

Gifts In Their Name

You know what else is lovely?

Handing him a Christmas card telling him that we gave a few pairs of chickens in his name to some families in need in Asia. It usually sparks a funny story from growing up on a farm.

Heifer International has a wonderful gift catalog that allows you to purchase all sorts of gifts that will help empower families to lift them out of poverty. We LOVE all of their gift ideas. You can check it out the catalog here.

So rather than making stuff for him, I sometimes opt for time together by taking him out for coffee or a lunch date. Though he usually insists on paying, so I’m not sure who’s getting the gift there.

PRETTIFY YOUR GIFTS Over the years, friends and family have come to expect DIY gifts from me like lip balm, soap and even laundry detergent. Making gifts for holidays, birthdays and other special occasions not only save me money, but it also allows me to exercise my creative muscle and spread the word that a natural DIY lifestyle really is simple.

However, while I’ve loved making natural gifts to give my loved ones, I haven’t so much enjoyed the packaging part. Traditional wrapping paper didn’t seem quite fitting for something I’d made myself and I wasn’t quite sure what else to do.

Thankfully, I’ve had a lot of practice over the years, and thanks to many websites, especially Pinterest, I’ve learned some tricks that have helped me beautify my DIY gifts.

Tags

Jars and Bottles

For gifts that you want to include ingredients and/or recipes, use a gift tag made card stock or a label, depending on what you’re giving the gift in. You can find plain gift tags premade or you can make them yourself. (Especially if you have a Cricut, which easily cuts them out for you.)

I’m obsessed with quite fond of glass jars and bottles. They have so many uses, including packaging for DIY gifts. There are many edible gifts in jars you can give, but you can also use them for things like laundry detergent, bath salts and homemade lotion.

If you prefer to stick a label on the gift you’ve made, you can also find fancy labels in all sizes, like circular kraft labels that look very “natural” or even chalkboard labels that you can write on with chalk.

Bottles are naturally great for all things liquid, be it homemade dish soap, flavored kombucha or homemade vanilla extract. You can wrap them or present them as is.

Bags

Wrapping

Traditional wrapping paper can be expensive and wasteful. And, in my house, way too easy for little kids to rip through prematurely (no matter whose gift it is).

Instead, I prefer wrapping presents in fabric Kraft paper (or a Kraft bag) and tying on some jute twine or ribbon and a gift tag. If I use fabric, it’s usually with something that I put in the middle of a scrap of fabric and then pull all of the sides up around it.

I then secure it with the twine or ribbon.

With the packaging paper, I use it as I would normal wrapping paper. I’ll either leave the plain brown, or let the kids decorate it with stamps or drawings.

If parting with your jars and bottles is difficult (I understand), try using bags instead.

Brown paper coffee bags are perfect for things like mulling spices, bath salts, loose leaf teas and even laundry detergent. You just need to print off a custom label with ingredients and directions and stick it on the front of the bag.

Fabric bags are also great for the same thing. You could make or buy muslin, cotton or burlap bags in many sizes to package your DIY gifts.

Stamps

Scents

Sometimes you can make a gift look extra special with just a stamp and some heavy-duty paper or a fabric bag of some kind.

One of my favorite tricks I’ve learned is to scent Christmas (or other special occasion) cards with essential oils.

Learn more here.

If you want to give some soothing bath herbs, for instance, try packaging them in a muslin bag or brown paper coffee bag. Use a stamp and ink to personalize whichever option you choose (make sure you get the right ink for the project, of course).

Put your cards in a sealable bag or container. On a cotton ball or wadded up piece of cotton fabric, apply 2-3 drops of cinnamon essential oil (or any other oil you love). Place the cotton in the bag with the cards, seal it and wait 24 hours. Your cards will smell amazing.

You can also personalize your gift tags, wrapping paper and stationery with stamps. I love these ones.

Molds

Certain gifts, like lotion bars, need to be poured into some sort of mold.

There are lots of fun molds available, including geometric shapes, floral molds and even Lego molds.

This idea isn’t limited to stationery.

I’ve made a lot of things giftable by adding one or more essential oils for a special scent, including laundry detergent and epsom salts.

Twine

I finish off pretty much every gift I make with twine of some sort. Often it’s a natural jute twine, like this one.

Others, I use baker’s twine (it comes in all sorts of colors). It adds a nice finishing touch.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Nina Nelson is a wellness author, intuitive designer and holistic living advocate who has secretly always wanted to be the village wise woman.

She lives in Central Oregon with her husband and their four children where she spends her free time doing CrossFit, drinking too much coffee and giggling at miniature horses.

She is the Master Crafter and creative voice behind tiny apothecary, a holistic living blog and natural remedy shop.

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