When it comes to holiday gift giving, there isn’t much that can beat a delicious snack or treat prepared with your own two hands. Food gift ideas are highly personable and are often a budget-friendly gift that is appreciated much more than the last minute t-shirt idea you picked up from the mall. You can turn any of your favorite recipes into a thoughtful gift. The key is creative packaging: think cute jars and tins adorned with ribbons, bows, and your own personal messages. The possibilities are endless but here are some DIY homemade food gift ideas for the holidays to start you out:

Homemade Tea Packets

Create personal tea packets for the tea lover in your life. Cut two coffee filters to form rectangles, then sew three of the sides of each of these rectangles together to make a pouch. Fill the pouch with loose leaf tea of your choosing. Feel free to make it unique by adding spices, chocolate nibs, crushed candy canes, or whatever you can dream up (tip: make sure you try your creation to make sure it’s tasty before passing if off as a gift). Sew the open side of the pouch closed and fold down two of the corners to create the top, staple these down along with a piece of string. Create a tag to attach to the other end of the string. This could be as simple as a heart shape, or you could write little messages on each one (think of the positive messages Yogi includes on their tea tags and create your own personalized message).

Reindeer Noses

This is a quick, simple, and cheap gift, perfect for making in large amounts for a class or large group. Simply fill a clear bag with 8 malted milk balls or other round, chocolate candy (these are the noses of Santa’s reindeer) and 1 red gumdrop ball (for Rudolph!). Create a cute label that says “Reindeer Noses” (such as this one) and staple it over the top of the bag to seal it off.

Hot Cocoa Mix Ornaments

There’s nothing that beats delicious hot cocoa on a cold winter’s day, but cocoa that doubles as a cute ornament is even better. You can find plain, clear, glass or plastic ornaments at your local craft store. Simply fill them with layered hot cocoa ingredients: instant cocoa powder, mini marshmallows, crushed candy canes, sprinkles, chocolate chips, or any ingredient you can think of that would be delightful in winter’s favorite hot beverage. Tie a ribbon through the top of the ornament, and you’re done! Gift the ornament by itself or give along side a mug or chocolate dipped spoon.

Mulling Sachets

Winter’s second favorite drink? Hot spiced apple cider. Create your own mulling sachets to contribute to your loved ones’ love of spiced cider. Simply layer two cheesecloth pieces cut into 6-inch rounds. In the center, place ½ inch of cinnamon stick, 1 star anise, 2 pods cardamom, 4 black peppercorns, and ¼ teaspoon cloves. Tie ends of cheesecloth up around the ingredients with twine to create the sachet. Place several in a decorative tin and include a note reading, “Place one sachet in mug, fill with hot cider, allow to steep for 3-5 minutes.”

Cubicle Snacks

Some people have to work over the holidays, but that doesn’t mean they have to miss out on the holiday cheer. Send them some creative jars of cubicle snacks filled with their favorite treats to munch on while they work away. You can reuse jars that you were going to recycle anyway, or go out and find matching jars at your local craft store. Fill them with healthy snacks like trail mix, granola, or kale chips for the health conscious, or gummy bears, M&Ms, or mini pretzels. Create fun labels and use decorative ribbon to give each jar a personal touch.

Christmas Sled Candies

Use assorted sizes of candy and two candy canes to make each of these Christmas sleds. Place the two candy canes parallel to each other with the crook facing up (these will be the sled’s rungs). Stack the candy on top of each other with the largest on the bottom (think Hershey bar) and the smallest on top. The candy should look like a stack of presents on Santa’s sled. Secure your sled by tying a ribbon around the two candy canes and up and over the gift candies. Or use a hot glue gun to secure the packaged candy (be careful not to melt the chocolate!).

Cookies/Quick Bread in a Jar

This is the perfect gift if you would like to give cookies or baked goods as gifts, but you don’t quite have the baking “gift” yourself. Instead, buy mason jars, glass milk jars, or other such jar containers and layer the ingredients necessary for a certain cookie or quick bread recipe. Find a favorite recipe (such as this cowboy cookies recipe) and layer the dry ingredients attractively in the jar. Use your creative talents to create a tag or sticker to attach to the jar with baking instructions and use ribbon and/or fabric to dress up the top of the jar.

What creative DIY holiday food gifts have you made for your friends and family in the past? Leave a comment for us below!