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hands holding a wrapped present surrounded by lights and gifts
hands holding a wrapped present surrounded by lights and gifts
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Culture

Calling All Craft Enthusiasts! DIY Gifts To Make For Your Friends This Holiday Season

Zoe Dean
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Cal State Chico chapter.

The holiday season can be a stressful and expensive time for everyone, especially college students, but gift-giving doesn’t have to be materialistic, and homemade presents can be much more meaningful to friends and family! Here are four DIY homemade gifts you can give to those special to you this holiday season.

Eco friendly paper holiday card
Photo by Jonathan Borba from Pexels

Hershey’s Kiss Pretzels

For those with friends who love a fun snack, Hershey’s Kiss Pretzels are the perfect treat to gift them! With three simple ingredients, this is super yummy and easy to make! First, you add however many pretzels you desire with Hershey’s kisses on top of them into the oven for about five minutes at 200 degrees fahrenheit. Once done, take them out and place M&M’s onto each Hershey’s pretzel. Let cool for about 20 minutes and they’re done! This is always one of my favorite gifts to receive from my best friend every year because they’re so delicious.

Cookie Cutter WReath

This gift idea is arguably one of the most creative ones I’ve seen. For a DIY Cookie Cutter Wreath, all you need is a pack of holiday cookie cutters with an assortment of sizes, ribbon or twine, a hot glue gun, and pine bough. First, you lay out the cookie cutters in a circle shape, making sure each is touching another. Then, using the hot glue gun, you glue each piece to the other. Then, it’s time to get creative and customize your wreath! You can add ribbon or twine, as well as pine bough wherever you want to on the wreath.

blue bauble ornament on christmas tree
Photo by Aswathy N from Unsplash

Homemade Sugar Scrub

This DIY Sugar Scrub is super quick and easy and can be made with multiple scents! All you need is coconut oil, brown or cane sugar, and essential oils of your choice. Just add the sugar and oil into a bowl and mix until smooth! To create a perfect gingerbread-scented scrub for the holidays, add gingerbread spice and vanilla extract. The sugar acts as a perfect exfoliant and the coconut oil hydrates and nourishes the skin.

Hot cocoa in a Mason Jar

Another sweet treat option is making a Hot Cocoa Mix in a Mason Jar! First, add powdered hot chocolate mix into a mason jar, then top with marshmallows and chocolate chips. Using ribbon or twine, tie candy canes to the mason jar, seal the lid, and you’re done! To make the mixture, just add hot milk or water to the jar, and the perfect hot cocoa is made.

Zoe Dean

Cal State Chico '25

Zoe Dean is a third-year student at California State University, Chico. Her major is Business with an emphasis on Marketing, and she hopes to go into digital advertising and marketing research after graduation. She is a member of the writing team at Her Campus and is eager to create content she and readers will be interested in. Her hobbies include reading, shopping, spending time outdoors, traveling, and of course, writing. Outside of Her Campus, she is also an active member of the Alpha Phi Sorority at Chico State, where she recently took the position of Director of Merchandise. Being a part of a community of empowered women through her sorority is one reason she joined the Her Campus team.