With Christmas just around the corner, the shopping madness is only beginning.

Having to buy gifts for friends, parents, and grandparents gets expensive if you don’t shop smart.

So, this year, consider gifting something homemade because, in the end, these are the gifts your loved ones will remember.

Junior Grace Stemple is in favor of do-it-yourself Christmas gifts.

“I think they (DIY gifts) are a great idea,” Stemple said. “They show how much you know about someone.”

1. A hot chocolate kit

This gift would be ideal for someone who enjoys spending winter days inside watching movies.

The materials needed include a mason jar, hot chocolate mix, chocolate chips, and maybe even marshmallows.

Acrylic paint or stickers could be bought to customize the jar.

Write a caring message or perhaps tie a candy cane to the outside with festive ribbon.

These materials can be purchased at the nearest dollar or grocery store.

2. Homemade cookies

Cookies would be the perfect gift for someone who does not focus on gifts but, instead, cares more about the time you spend together.

The ingredients needed for this gift include flour, sugar, butter, vanilla extract, baking soda, and eggs.

Cookie cutters can be purchased as an added gift, supplying a variety of shapes.

Baking cookies can be a fun process with a sweet result.

The materials can easily be found at the nearest grocery store.

3. Sugar scrub

Making a body scrub is an easy way to please people who enjoy treating their skin.

The materials needed to create this are coconut oil, sugar, essential oils for fragrance, and, possibly, food coloring for tint.

Essential oils are a good way to personalize the gift based on their favorite fragrances.

These ingredients can be found at the nearest grocery store.

4. Photo Collage

A photo collage is a sentimental gift that touches the heart of the gift recipient.

All you would need is a picture frame, photos (of course), and perhaps a permanent marker to write a message.

This gift would show how well you know your friend or family member.

Junior Mallory Simms received a photo collage from her sister Mackenzie and recommends others to consider doing so for a friend or family member.

“DIY gifts mean so much more than the average gift,” Simms said. “They are more personal and are more valuable than anything you could buy in store.”