Neighbor Christmas Gifts: 13 Cheap Handmade Ideas That Make the Whole Street Smile

Neighbor Christmas gifts are the little things that turn a row of houses into a real community. A small bag on the doorstep, a tin of snacks, a tiny tree with a handwritten tag: it costs very little, yet people remember it for years. The trouble is that most of us need a whole stack of gifts at once, for the family next door, the couple across the street, the mail carrier and the coworker who always helps. That is why the ideas below are cheap, quick to make in batches and pretty enough to feel special. Most cost one to three dollars each, and many can be made on a single cozy evening at the kitchen table. Grab some kraft paper, twine and a few jars, and let us make the whole street smile this year..

A Doorstep Stack of Neighbor Christmas Gifts

The secret to great neighbor Christmas gifts is a matching look. When every bag, tin and jar uses the same kraft paper, red twine and simple tag, even a tiny gift looks like it came from a sweet little shop. Pick one color scheme, buy the supplies in bulk and set up an assembly line on the kitchen table. For even cheaper ideas, see our dollar store Christmas gifts. Then mix and match the ideas below so each house gets something a little different. A stack like this on the porch, ready to deliver, is one of the coziest sights of the season. Who is first on your delivery list?..

You will need: Kraft paper bags, a roll of red and white twine, plain gift tags, a hole punch, a black pen, small pine sprigs, a big basket for deliveries.

How to make it: 1. Choose one wrapping style for all your gifts, such as kraft paper with red twine. 2. Write all the tags first, with each neighbor’s name. 3. Fill and wrap the gifts in an assembly line. 4. Tuck a pine sprig under each bow and load the basket for delivery.

Neighbor Christmas Gifts in Painted Snack Tins

A snack mix in a painted tin is one of the most loved neighbor Christmas gifts, because everyone can share it and it keeps well. Buy plain metal tins at a craft or dollar store and paint them red, white or mint green, then add simple snowflakes or polka dots with a paint pen. Fill them with your favorite sweet and salty mix, like the neighbor gift snack mix millions have watched on YouTube. The tin becomes a little keepsake that neighbors reuse for years. Do you have a family snack mix recipe everyone begs for?

You will need: Plain round metal tins with lids, acrylic or chalk paint, white paint pens, wax paper, homemade snack mix, twine and tags.

How to make it: 1. Wash and dry the tins and paint the lids and sides in a holiday color. 2. Add snowflakes, dots or stripes with a white paint pen and let them dry. 3. Line each tin with wax paper and fill it with snack mix. 4. Close the lid and tie twine with a name tag around it.

Hot Cocoa Cone Bags

Cocoa cones are one of the cutest neighbor Christmas gifts and look like little works of art, and they cost about a dollar each. Fill a clear cone shaped bag with cocoa mix, a layer of chocolate chips and a top layer of mini marshmallows, then tie it with a ribbon and a candy cane. The layers show through the bag and make the gift look fancy. Add a tag that says how to make the drink, and your neighbors have a cozy evening ready to go. Kids love helping fill these, too. Would you add peppermint pieces or caramel bits?

You will need: Clear cone treat bags, hot cocoa mix, chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, small candy canes, ribbon, tags.

How to make it: 1. Stand each cone bag in a tall glass to keep it steady. 2. Spoon in about three tablespoons of cocoa mix, then a layer of chocolate chips. 3. Fill the top with mini marshmallows. 4. Twist the bag closed, tie with ribbon and add a candy cane and a tag with the directions.

Neighbor Christmas Gifts: Mini Potted Rosemary Trees

Small rosemary plants trimmed into a tree shape are sold at many grocery stores in December, and they make charming living neighbor Christmas gifts. Wrap the pot in burlap or kraft paper, add a few tiny ornaments and a little star, and it looks like a mini Christmas tree. After the holidays, your neighbor can cook with it or plant it in the garden. It smells wonderful, too. Buy several at once to keep the price down. Who on your street loves to cook?

You will need: Small potted rosemary plants, burlap or kraft paper, twine, tiny ornaments or red beads, a small paper or wooden star.

How to make it: 1. Wrap each pot in a square of burlap and tie it with twine. 2. Hang a few tiny ornaments or string a short bead garland around the plant. 3. Tuck a small star on the top branch. 4. Add a tag with care tips: water once a week and give it a sunny window.

Neighbor Christmas Gifts With a House Number Ornament

This idea is so personal and so cheap. Paint a wooden round or a little wooden house shape, then add the neighbor’s house number in neat paint or a stencil. It becomes a keepsake they will hang on the tree every year, and it reminds them of the street where they live. Neighbor Christmas gifts like this are perfect for new families on the block. Add the year on the back so it becomes part of their holiday story. Who is new on your street this year?

You will need: Wooden ornament rounds or house shapes, white and red acrylic paint, number stencils or a fine paint pen, twine, clear sealer.

How to make it: 1. Paint the wood white or red and let it dry. 2. Stencil or paint the house number in the center. 3. Write the year on the back with a paint pen. 4. Seal it and add a twine loop for hanging.

A Doorknob Hanger Wreath

Among neighbor Christmas gifts, a full size wreath can cost a lot, but a mini wreath for a doorknob is cheap, cute and very easy to deliver. Wrap a small embroidery hoop or wire ring with faux greenery, add a bow and a tiny bell, and hang it right on your neighbor’s door handle as a surprise. It also works on cabinet knobs, chairs and car mirrors. Make ten in an evening while watching a holiday movie. What a sweet way to say hello?

You will need: Small embroidery hoops or 4 inch wire rings, faux greenery picks, floral wire, red velvet ribbon, small bells, a hot glue gun (adult help).

How to make it: 1. Wrap greenery around the ring and secure it with floral wire. 2. Tie a red bow and glue it at the bottom. 3. Add a tiny bell in the center of the bow. 4. Tie a ribbon loop at the top so it slips over a doorknob.

A Jar of Spiced Nuts With a Fabric Lid

Jars make gifts look special with almost no effort. Fill a clean jar with homemade spiced nuts or roasted almonds, then cover the lid with a circle of plaid or red fabric and tie it with twine. The fabric top gives that cozy country store look. A handwritten tag listing the ingredients is thoughtful and helps neighbors with food allergies. If nuts are a worry, use pretzels or popcorn instead. Glass jars are often very cheap in bulk at the dollar store. Which flavor would you choose: sweet cinnamon or savory rosemary?

You will need: Glass jars with lids, homemade spiced nuts or another snack, plaid fabric squares, pinking shears, twine, tags.

How to make it: 1. Fill each clean jar with the snack and close the lid. 2. Cut a fabric circle about 2 inches wider than the lid with pinking shears. 3. Lay it on the lid and tie twine tightly around the rim. 4. Add a tag that lists the ingredients.

A Mini Loaf in a Fabric Wrap

A small loaf of banana bread is one of the most classic neighbor Christmas gifts. The wrapping makes it shine. Instead of plastic wrap, roll it in a festive tea towel and tie it with twine and a sprig of greenery. Now the gift comes with a bonus your neighbor can keep in the kitchen all year. Dollar store tea towels in red check look especially charming. Bake a big batch in mini pans on one weekend and you are set for the whole street. What is your favorite holiday bread?

You will need: Mini loaf pans, your favorite quick bread, parchment paper, cheap holiday tea towels, twine, greenery sprigs, tags.

How to make it: 1. Bake and fully cool the mini loaves. 2. Wrap each loaf in parchment paper. 3. Roll it in a tea towel and fold the ends under. 4. Tie it with twine, tuck in a sprig of greenery and add a tag.

A Felt Coaster Set

Felt coasters are one of the easiest no sew gifts. Cut squares or circles from thick felt, then glue on small felt shapes like trees, stars or mittens. Stack four, tie them with a ribbon and you have a handy gift neighbors will use every day. Felt sheets cost very little, and one pack makes several sets. This is a great project for older kids, too. Pick colors that match the season, like cream, red and forest green. Which shape would you put on top?

You will need: Thick felt sheets in cream, red and green, sharp scissors, fabric glue, a cookie cutter to trace shapes, ribbon.

How to make it: 1. Trace and cut four squares or circles about 4 inches wide. 2. Trace small trees or stars with a cookie cutter and cut them out. 3. Glue one shape in the center of each coaster and let it dry flat. 4. Stack the set and tie it with ribbon.

Neighbor Christmas Gifts: A Cinnamon Ornament Trio

Cinnamon dough ornaments smell amazing, and three of them tied together make one of the most charming neighbor Christmas gifts. Mix cinnamon with applesauce and a little glue, roll it out and cut shapes with cookie cutters. Once dry, they last for years and still smell like the holidays when you unpack them. They are not for eating, so add a small note to the tag. Kids especially love rolling and cutting the dough. Would you choose stars, hearts or gingerbread men?

You will need: 1 cup ground cinnamon, 3/4 cup applesauce, 2 tablespoons white school glue, cookie cutters, a straw, twine, a rolling pin.

How to make it: 1. Mix the cinnamon, applesauce and glue into a smooth dough. 2. Roll it about 1/4 inch thick and cut out shapes. 3. Poke a hole near the top with a straw and let the shapes dry for two days, turning them over each day. 4. Tie three together with twine and add a tag that says not for eating.

Peppermint Bark in a Takeout Box

For neighbor Christmas gifts with a bakery feel, plain takeout boxes from the craft store make sweets look like a bakery gift. Line the box with parchment, fill it with pieces of homemade peppermint bark and tie it with ribbon. Decorate the outside with a simple stamp, a sticker or a painted snowflake. The boxes stack well, so they are perfect when you have a long delivery list. You can use the same trick for cookies or fudge. Peppermint bark only needs two kinds of chocolate and crushed candy canes. Is peppermint your favorite holiday flavor?

You will need: Small paper takeout boxes, parchment paper, homemade peppermint bark, red and white ribbon, a holiday stamp or stickers.

How to make it: 1. Decorate the outside of each box with a stamp, a sticker or a painted snowflake. 2. Line the box with a square of parchment. 3. Fill it with broken pieces of peppermint bark. 4. Close the box and tie it with ribbon and a tag.

A Thank You Basket for the Mail Carrier

The people who bring our mail and packages work hard in December, often in cold and rain. A small thank you basket by the mailbox says you notice. Fill it with bottled water, wrapped snacks, hand warmers and a handwritten card. Many families leave a basket like this out for all delivery drivers during the busy season. Use a basket or a decorated tin with a sign that says help yourself. It is a tiny gift that brightens a long day. Who keeps your street running?

You will need: A small basket or tin, bottled water, wrapped snacks, hand warmers, a thank you card, a ribbon bow, a small sign.

How to make it: 1. Line the basket with a holiday napkin. 2. Fill it with water, snacks and hand warmers. 3. Add a card and a small sign that invites drivers to take something. 4. Set it on the porch or hang it near the mailbox and refill it as needed.

A Seed Packet Card for Spring

Here is one of the neighbor Christmas gifts that keeps giving long after the tree comes down. Tuck a packet of flower or herb seeds into a handmade card with a note like, see you in the garden this spring. Seed packets cost very little, and they fit in an envelope, so you can even mail them. Gardeners on your street will love it, and it starts conversations when the flowers bloom next year. Choose easy seeds like sunflowers, zinnias or basil. This might be the cheapest and most thoughtful idea of all. What would you love to see blooming on your street?

You will need: Packets of flower or herb seeds, card stock, a glue stick, washi tape, a pen, envelopes.

How to make it: 1. Fold card stock in half to make a card. 2. Write a warm note inside. 3. Attach the seed packet to the front with washi tape so it can be pulled off. 4. Slip the card into an envelope and deliver or mail it.