30 Frugal Christmas Gift Ideas for Neighbors

I love giving simple gifts to my neighbors and friends on my street during the holidays, usually a delicious treat of some sort. It is nice to do something small to show you are thinking of them and you can get the kids involved to help teach the joy of giving!

To help give you some ideas, we’ve curated 30 of our favorite gift ideas for neighbors, including homemade options, food options, and even some easy store-bought ideas for when you’re in a pinch.

You can find cute packaging options at lots of stores right now, like Walmart, Target, or a dollar store. Think ribbon, twine, bows, gift tags, treat boxes, tins and cellophane bags. You might even be able to find some on clearance during the week of Christmas (or it will all be sold out!). If you do find clearance prices, stock up on some for next year!

Top 10 Homemade Gift Ideas for Neighbors (Non-Edible)

1. DIY Christmas Countdown Plaque

You might want to give this one to your neighbors a bit early so they can use it, but that’s up to you! This is a great gift idea for any family with children.

2. Snowman Soap

This one is a really easy gift idea. All you need is a bottle of white soap (here are some options from Amazon) and then some puff paint and a few other materials to create the snowman.

See the full project on Down Redbud Drive.

3. Chalkboard Countdown

This idea is similar to the countdown plaque above, but chalkboard style. Your neighbors will be able to use it to count down to all sorts of different events!

4. DIY Pine Scented Candle

This striped candle looks really nice and the pine scent is perfect for Christmas time! Wrap a gift tag around it and voila. Get the full tutorial at Sugar and Charm.

5. Homemade Ornaments

There are a ton of great Christmas tree ornaments you can make by hand. The kids can help too! Check out these homemade ornament ideas.

6. Homemade Holiday Potpourri

Holiday potpourri looks extremely nice and can be either kept on a shelf or simmered on a stovetop for a great aroma. See the full tutorial at Tidbits.

7. DIY Blue Mason Jars

The DIY blue tint on these mason jars gives them great style. Fill a few with candy or candles for your nieghbors!

8. Christmas Tea Tree

I love how creative yet simple this idea is. If you know your neighbor is a tea lover, this is such a wonderful idea! Get the full tutorial at Thirsty For Tea.

9. Holiday Decorative Frame

This is a very simple DIY gift that’s still thoughtful. Your neighbor can use the frame to display a family photo, or they can leave it as is for Christmas time.

10. DIY Coasters

Almost everyone uses coasters so you can’t really go wrong here! Plus, there are some really cool homemade coasters to choose from.

15 Edible Homemade Christmas Gifts for Neighbors

Homemade food wrapped up nicely as a gift is one of the most thoughtful presents you can receive. Here are some of our favorite ideas…

1. Homemade Jam

Pour some of your favorite homemade jam into a small mason jar with a bow on it! Love homemade jam!

Here are a couple of homemade jam recipes you can try:

• Quick Strawberry Freezer Jam Recipe
• Low Carb Raspberry Chia Jam Recipe

2. Reindeer Mason Jars

If you’re looking for something fun and easy, it doesn’t get much easier than these reindeer mason jars! See the full project on Polkadot Chair.

3. Custom Mug with Hot Cocoa Stirring Spoon

These hot chocolate spoons add a little something special to any regular cup of hot chocolate! Pair them with a custom mug or a pack of hot chocolate for an easy gift idea.

4. Candy Santa Hat Sleighs

This is a really festive treat gift idea that the kids can help you make! See the full project on Life With My Littles.

5. Hot Chocolate Santas

Hot chocolate is a great homemade gift idea on its own, but these hot chocolate Santas add a bit of character!

6. Homemade Caramel Sauce

Caramel sauce goes great with some homemade shortbread cookies! Pour some into a small mason jar with a bow on it!

7. Homemade Freezable Cookie Dough

Who wouldn’t appreciate some homemade cookie dough as a gift? Package it in an airtight container, then place it in a cute bag, tin, or treat box with instructions!

8. Homemade BBQ Sauce

Pour some of this Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce Copycat recipe into a small mason jar with a bow on it! Any of your favorite homemade mixes or sauces could be a nice gift!

9. SOS Mix

Our homemade cream of chicken soup recipe is a great SOS mix and can be used in tons of different recipes. Package it in a mason jar with a gift tag for your neighbors!

10. Homemade Apple Pie Filling

This is one of the easier homemade gift ideas for your neighbors as you can make multiple jars of apple pie filling at once! It doesn’t take too long either (just over an hour).

Check out our DIY apple pie filling recipe with free printable labels for everything you need! (You’ll need some mason jars and twine too, of course.)

11. DIY Brownie Mix

Package it in a cute jar or other airtight container and include the instructions. Try this Better Than a Box Homemade Brownie Mix for this gift idea!

12. Treat Plate

Use a decorative treat box, paper plate or platter to give yummy Christmas treats to your neighbors. Offer a tantalizing variety or simply your favorite one!

Here are some of our favorite holiday treat recipes:

• Peppermint Bark
• S’mores Bark
• Snickers Fudge
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Fudge
• Chocolate Mint Coconut Macaroons
• Chocolate Coconut Drops
• Microwave Peanut Brittle
• White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Cookies
• Nutella Fudge
• Homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
• Creamy Fudge
• Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark
• Peppermint Muddie Buddies
• Caramel Dipped Pretzels
• Confetti Crisps
• Holiday Pretzel Treats
• Peppermint Kiss Cookies
• White Chocolate Peppermint Chex
• Easy Chocolate Truffles
• Gingerbread Men
• Sour Cream Sugar Twists
• Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

13. Popcorn

Popcorn is great because you can make so many different variations! Package it in a cute treat box, jar, tin, or decorative cellophane bag.

Here are some of our favorite popcorn recipes:

• Quick and Easy Caramel Popcorn
• Oreo Popcorn
• Gooey Popcorn
• Pumpkin Spice Popcorn
• White Chocolate Popcorn
• Cinnamon Bun Popcorn
• Marshmallow Caramel Corn

14. Candied Nuts

Scoop something like these delicious Cinnamon Roasted Pecans into a cute container, like a treat box, mason jar, or decorative cellophane bag.

15. Homemade Bread

Bake bread in mini loaf size, if possible. (It is especially cute if you use a decorative little paper liner or tray, like these.) Wrap with cellophane or cover with plastic and tie a ribbon around or put a bow on it with a gift tag.

Here are some of our favorite bread recipes:

• Cinnamon Swirl Bread
• Zucchini Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
• Chocolate Zucchini Bread
• Snickerdoodle Bread
• Buttermilk Oatmeal Bread
• Cake Mix Banana Bread
• Cranberry Bread
• Whole Wheat Bread
• No-Knead Bread
• Pumpkin Pound Cake Loaf
• Healthier Banana Bread
• Orange Zest Zucchini Bread
• Easy Lemon Blueberry Quick Bread

5 Easy Gift Ideas That Aren’t Homemade

If you’re really in a pinch and you don’t have time to make something from scratch, don’t fret! We’ve got some easy ideas that take almost no time to prepare, but they’re still useful gifts.

1. Batteries

Having extra batteries on Christmas is a must with all the new toys that will be opened. Just wrap the batteries with a ribbon and cute gift tag for a nice easy gift. Find online battery deals here.

2. Bubble Bath

After all the holiday stress, everyone could use a bit of relaxation time. Gift your neighbors a nice bottle of bubble bath! Tie a ribbon around the bottle to spruce it up. Find bubble bath deals here.

3. Neighbor Mug

There are a ton of funny neighbor mugs on Amazon that can be found for quite cheap. Check out the options here.

4. Ornament

Ornaments are always a fun gift to receive and there are so many different ones you can choose from. Plus, they’re typically only $10-$20. Check out ornament deals here.

5. Hand Soap

We already showed you the DIY snowman soap above, but if you want to go an even simpler route, just get the hand soap and package it up nicely! You could even find some nice Christmas scented soaps, like these.

Final Thoughts

Hope you enjoyed all of these ideas! Coming up with gift ideas for neighbors can be tough at first but once you give it some thought, there are tons of options to choose from!

If you’re looking for some frugal ways to wrap your gifts, check out these frugal and creative gift wrapping ideas.

Or, if you want even more ideas, check out these posts:

• 25 Homemade Gift Ideas Perfect for Any Occasion
• 20 Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas