As the holiday season approaches, Lisa Morry’s busy making handmade resin keychains and paperweights as Christmas gifts. For years, as well, she’s been buying clear balls from craft stores to make seasonal ornaments.
She says a pack of art supplies can knock multiple gifts off of anyone’s to-do list.
“It’s more personal because you can choose the colour or … name or personalize it in that regard,” she said. “It’s kind of nice, especially if you’re crafty and you’ve got time to do it.”
Handmade doesn’t necessarily mean cheap, however. These days, Morry tries to find good sales when buying her resin, since she says craft supplies can be expensive.
She’s not the only shopper looking for deals at this time of year. Canadians are spending their money more carefully holiday season according to a 2025 survey by the Retail Council of Canada and Leger.
The survey found that 85 per cent of shoppers are waiting for sales this year, while 80 per cent are comparing prices online and 78 per cent are buying discounted or promotional items. In Ontario, the average gift budget for 2025 is $1,095 — five per cent lower than last year’s, the survey found.
Ottawa-based Harris and Partners‘ 2025 Christmas Spending Report had similar results. The company that helps Canadians manage debt and bankruptcy found that of 1,820 Canadians who responded to a survey, around 84 per cent said they believe this Christmas will cost more than last year.
“For many, Christmas has become a budgeting challenge rather than a carefree celebration,” CEO Joshua Harris wrote in the report. “Financial stress now sits alongside seasonal joy.”
The report added that many Canadians chose to adapt in creative ways by making homemade gifts and decorations, running secret Santa gift exchanges or hosting potlucks.
Harris told Capital Current people resort to these alternatives to better manage their budgets while still meeting the “high expectations” and dealing with the “anxiety” of holiday gift-giving.
“Everyone’s trying to keep up with the Joneses during the holiday season and the reality is, maybe the person you’re buying a gift for can’t afford a gift either. Now you’re both going to debt with it,” he said. “You’re not alone. There is help out there, but your friends and family are the best help possible.”
Megan McRae already gives her friends and family homemade gifts throughout the year. For Christmas 2025, she decided to focus on making handmade garlands, crocheted granny squares and even a Christmas-tree-shaped celtic knot to decorate her house.
“Making decorations on my own just feels more authentic and feels less wasteful, and just more intentional than going to the store and spending so much money on garbage,” she said.
But McRae says it’s getting harder to find affordable craft supplies, especially since she prefers to buy local. Since she graduated from Carleton University in April 2024, McRae has had a difficult time starting new creative hobbies.
“It’s hard to pick up new crafts. Even yarn is getting really expensive, especially if you want to buy from more local people or not from big companies. It’s almost impossible as someone making around minimum wage, and I’m in a more privileged position [living at home],” she said. “It’s just all so expensive.”
To deal with high prices, Harris recommends sticking to a budget.
“It can get really exciting, things like Black Friday … or Cyber Monday, but it’s really important that people make a budget and stick to it and try to avoid using credit for holidays,” Harris said.
Upper Canada District School Board teacher Divina Hogan, who teaches visual art, among other subjects, says she always looks for good deals in the crafting supplies section of stores. She uses these supplies to teach her students how to give gifts in meaningful ways.
“We’re doing some moon beading and we’re doing some sewing and different things with the stuff that I do in my Indigenous Studies class,” she said. “I’ve been telling them it’s more meaningful if you make something your grandma will love.”
A charity donation is another meaningful gift, Hogan says. She’s given gift cards for charities such as Chalice and World Vision Canada to her nephews and nieces, who were then able to decide how they wanted to help.
In Ottawa, there are many charities and organizations that help residents stay afloat over Christmas. The Holiday Gift Program at the Children’s Aid Foundation of Ottawa takes donations to give Ottawa youth toys and groceries during the holidays and annual cultural celebrations. In 2024, the program received 8,010 gifts and supported 1,315 children and youth.
It’s a part of you that will go with them forever, and it’s a thought about how much you put into it.
Lisa Morry, Ottawa crafter.
This Christmas season, Morry is cutting back on giving extra gifts so she can prioritize her family and close friends. The physiotherapist assistant says it’s important to give handmade gifts not only because it’s cheaper, but also because of what the present means to the person receiving it.
“It’s a part of you that will go with them forever, and it’s a thought about how much you put into it. So it’s more sentimental, there’s a lot of personal value to it. Anybody at all can go buy something up,” she said. “But when it’s made, and you go through the effort to buy it and make it, that’s more memorable in my point.”
