It happens to the best of us. Two days before Christmas you find out you’ll be having unexpected guests, you get invited to a party or you simply forgot a gift. That’s why quick and easy last minute Christmas gifts to make are a holiday life-saver!
An easy Christmas wreath that looks like it’s covered in snowflakes takes only minutes to make. It’s fun to do with any little helpers you have, too. All you need is an evergreen wreath (fake or real) and a bouquet of baby’s breath (Gypsophila).
The kids at our house also love to make snowmen out of Styrofoam balls. The snowmen are assembled by the older kids and the little ones get to decorate them. You can make them as tiny or as large as you wish.
Speaking of children, if you’re looking for quick and clever last minute Christmas gifts to make them, holiday shaped crayons will surely bring a smile. Pair them with a drawing pad or a few coloring books for a gift they’ll enjoy all winter long.
You could also start a tradition at your house and make your own de-icing salts using sea salt and favorite essential oils as an alternative gift. Assembled in paint cans with wooden scoops, they’ll soon become very popular among your neighbors and friends.
Whichever gift you choose to make, your recipients will love the personal touch!
10 Minute ‘Snowflake’ Wreath
Materials
Bouquet of baby’s breath (Gypsophila)
Evergreen Christmas wreath (real or faux – your choice)
Newspapers to cover your working area
- Cover your working area with the newspapers (it can get a bit messy).
- Break off short lengths o the baby’s breath flower stems and discard these bits.
- Insert each floral stem into the wreath.
- Keep inserting the flowers until the wreath is evenly covered.
- Hang the wreath on your front door, above the fireplace mantel, or anywhere you wall space you’d like to brighten up.
Styrofoam Snowmen (for one snowman)
Materials
3 Styrofoam balls in graduated sizes – small (for the head), medium (for the belly) and large (for the bottom)
1 Wooden skewer
2 Twigs (for the arms – optional)
Small wooden or plastic ornaments, felt markers, bottle caps (to decorate snowman)
- Push the wooden skewer through each ball with the largest ball forming the bottom and the smallest for the head.
- Push the little twigs into the sides of the center ball.
- Pass the snowmen over to the little ones who can decorate them with the Christmas ornaments, felt markers, bottle caps, etc.
Christmas Shaped Crayons (our favorite last minute Christmas gifts to make!)
Materials
Crayons
Baking pan with Christmas shapes (generally designed for sugar cookie making)
OR candle or soap molds with Christmas shapes
- Set oven to 275 degrees.
- Take wrapper off of crayons and discard. Break crayons into small pieces.
- Spray baking pay or molds with cooking spray.
- Arrange small crayon pieces into molds to create a pattern of colors. Filling mold to top with crayon bits.
- Bake in oven for 5 to 10 minutes until crayons melt completely.
- Remove tray from oven and cool on cooling rack until completely cooled and hardened.
- Pop crayons out of the tray. Wipe off any cooking spray residue. Put crayons in a small Christmas box or bag for gifting.
Homemade De-icing Salt
Materials
1 kilogram bag of sea salt
Cedar oil (or use a strongly scented essential oil, like cinnamon or rosemary)
Empty paint cans with handles (the kind that are painted inside to prevent the can from rusting – you can buy these at hardware or building supply stores)
Wooden scoops (or recycle the plastic scoops from your laundry detergent box)
- Pour the sea salt into a plastic basin and then add about 10 to 15 drops cedar oil to the salt.
- Mix with a wooden spoon and then pour into an empty paint can. Replace the lid.
- Tie the wooden scoop to the handle with a festive ribbon.
