Who else has been sat up late on Christmas Eve? Not because of Christmas excitement, but because you haven’t quite finished the handmade gift that is supposed to be wrapped and under the tree?
Christmas can be a stressful time of year, particularly for crafters. I love making gifts for friends and family, but each year without fail I end up tired and overwhelmed by everything I had planned to make. This takes the joy out of the creating and causes gift making burnout.
After some thorough research (read: chatting to fellow crafty people), I decided 2023 was the year I would have Christmas calm and not Christmas chaos.
Here’s 5 tips to prevent the handmade gift burnout so you can enjoy your crafting without feeling the pressure and overwhelm of creating and making gifts.
Tip #1 : Reduce the Gift List
You don’t have to make something for everyone. Repeat this to yourself as many times as you need.
As a crafter there can be both internal and external pressure to make everyone a gift. This is probably a year round problem, not just for Christmas. Friends will ‘jokingly’ ask when their handmade garment, accessory, ornament or other requested item will be ready. Non-crafters often do not understand the time, effort and energy required for your creations.
So, set the boundaries for yourself.
Decide upfront who gets something this time round.
And keep repeating “I don’t have to make something for everyone.”
Tip #2 : Keep the Gift Small
You will have limited time, so consider your gift choices carefully. Things that can be created quickly will still be appreciated.
If you are knitting a gift, embrace the power of chunky wool and consider smaller creations like a woolly hat or headband earwamer.
Or accessorise another gift with some handmade elements like:
- Calligraphy or handwritten handmade gift tags
- Hand stamped wrapping paper
- Custom pom-poms on gift wrap
Tip #3 : Ensure the Gift is Loved
Cast your mind back over the year to get inspiration for what a person might really appreciate. Did they really admire your handknit socks, or keep mentioning a cool scarf they’d seen?
With the effort and time you put into your gifts, you’ll want to make sure that it is appreciated and loved.
I would recommend including washing instructions (where needed), especially for anything hand knit to make sure your creation is worn and re-worn.
Tip #4 : Write out your Plan
Once you have figured out who is getting what, it’s time to get it all written down.
It is extra rewarding to check off gifts as you go. I created a free downloadable planner to help you keep track of which gift is for which person and whether it’s been finished or not.
Tip #5 : Utilise IOUs (sparingly)
Sometimes you have the perfect plan to get everything done, then life gets in the way!
If you’ve no time to finish up a gift, don’t worry. Family and friends will be very understanding of an IOU for some gifts. I have wrapped one sock with an IOU for the second several times over the years. They still receive their gift within the window of Christmas. Or sometimes in Spring…
Make sure not to stack up too many IOUs to save your sanity in the new year, but don’t feel bad about a few.
Bonus Tip
If it does all go wrong and you over plan your handmade gifts, don’t forget that there are plenty of great creations from other people. Make the most of local craft fairs for finding gifts to support other makers.