43 Holiday Gift Tags and Topper Ideas

Add fun and sparkle to Christmas and Hanukkah gifts with these DIY holiday tags and topper ideas.

Claire Hoppe Norgaard is the editorial assistant at Better Homes & Gardens. She has a passion for making others feel at home in their space.

Kelsey Hansen

To make your holiday gifts extra special, we’ve got some ways to create one-of-a-kind gift tags and toppers. There’s something about a wrapped gift with little embellishments that creates a sense of anticipation and adds to the fun of the season. Even simple touches—say, a spring of fragrant evergreen attached to ribbon—will make your gift stand out.

Remember, presentation counts, and alternative packaging is a great way to showcase homemade gifts. That means you don’t have to start with a gift in a box and wrapping paper—in fact, we’d encourage you to think outside the box and use the same decorating techniques below.

The Japanese wrap their gifts in furoshiki, a traditional cloth, for instance, that can be repurposed. You could also use a drawstring gift bag, pretty baskets, a Chinese take-out box, or Mason jars for food gifts. Whatever your base, the free downloads and ideas below will get you started and put you in the holiday spirit.

Kelsey Hansen

This foil starburst gift topper will add a pop of color to presents and your Christmas tree this year. Using shiny foil papers, make accordion folds to create a starburst shape. Use double-sided tape to attach the ends of the folds. Finish the topper off with a miniature ball ornament.

Kelsey Hansen

These paper gift toppers look elegant and are easy to make at home. Simply bend strips of shiny foil paper and matte cardstock into teardrop shapes. Adhere the loops together with craft glue. Gather the ends together, use a hole punch to cut a hole, and thread a string through.

Kelsey Hansen

Craft this wreath gift topper at home using raffia. Unfurl two shades of green raffia paper ribbon to create wide loops. Assemble and glue the loops to your gift's lid in a circle. Place pom-poms between the loops to mimic holly berries.

Kelsey Hansen

Don't throw out that packing material just yet—make DIY gift toppers out of them, instead! Corrugated paper rolled into triangles make easy DIY ornaments, too. Paint the baubles in bright colors and add embellishments to finish off your repurposed toppers.

Kelsey Hansen

Make these Scandinavian-inspired stars at home using fabric or bias tape. Fold, weave, and tuck patterned fabric or solid-color bias tape into a star shape to make a homemade bow or a festive ornament for your tree.

Kelsey Hansen

Raffia is your best friend when it comes to wrapping the perfect gift. The grass-like material can be used to make bows, pom-poms, and floral gift toppers. Use a pom-pom maker to create vibrant bows, or utilize a flower loom to weave blossoms that can be reused as napkin rings. For a big bow, flatten raffia into wide lengths that hold their shape.

Kelsey Hansen

These starry toppers are perfect for Hanukkah gifts. To make them, simply tuck chenille pipe cleaners into notches cut along the edges of cardboard coasters.

Kelsey Hansen

Give your boxes a 3-D tree embellishment with this idea. To recreate the look, use iron-on adhesive to stiffen bias tape. Then, fold the tape into a curved tree shape and attach it to your gift. Use pom-poms or other embellishments to finish off your Christmas tree gift topper.

Dominique Vorillon

Dried citrus can be used for a variety of holiday decorating projects. The garnishing doesn't stop with your wreath or garland; add dried citrus to your gifts too!

The process is simple: Preheat the oven to 200°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the slices of orange, grapefruit, or clementine on the sheet. Bake for two to three hours or until the fruit is nearly dried, turning over once or twice if needed. Cool completely before stringing with yarn or twine and topping your gift with this sweet decor.

Marty Baldwin

This nature-inspired gift tag idea has so many possibilities. Find pre-sliced wood and craft paint at your local crafts store. Choose any design to decorate your gift tag, such as this Dala horse design, or write the gift recipient's name on it. Drill a hole through the top and add a string to tie the topper to your present.

Marty Baldwin

Making salt dough crafts is simple and fun for everyone in the family. Everything you need is already in your kitchen for this DIY gift tag. To achieve the gingerbread look, add ⅓ cup ground cinnamon for every ½ cup salt. Once the salt dough is complete, decorate the tags with sprinkles, puffy paint, or a three-dimensional paint pen.

Brie Passano

Try something new and trade typical red and green for soft shades of pink and blue. Use pastel wrap and ribbon on your gifts this year. Finish the look by adding golden embellishments and tags. These gifts look perfect when placed under a flocked Christmas tree.

Dane Tashima

Use air-dry clay for this simple yet sophisticated gift tag. Stamp the initial of each family member onto the clay and let it dry. Keep and reuse the tags each year and update them by using a different color twine or ribbon.

Jason Donnelll

Be bold with your ribbon and topper. Position the plaid gift wrap on the diagonal and wrap the box. Add one simple band of wide ribbon, overlapping and gluing ends to secure. (If your package embellishment is large enough to cover the seam, you can join the ends at center front.) Stack graduated sizes of die-cut snowflakes; hot glue one to the other. Hot glue the stack to the package ribbon.

Jason Donnelll

To make this topper, spray-paint two metal rings gold and set them aside to dry. Tie them together at the top with narrow ribbon. Wire small snippets of evergreen and small pinecones to the bottom of the rings. Attach the rings to the wrapped package with glitter ribbon.

Our rings were silver before we painted them. Leave them unpainted if you prefer a silver-and-white combination.

Jason Donnelll

Capture that special Christmas joy with patterned paper and cookie cutters! Wrap your gift in a snowflake-patterned paper and add two bands of ribbon, one on top of the other. Using a ribbon with a decorative edging adds another element of interest to the package. For a gift that keeps on giving, use metal or plastic cookie cutters instead of a bow.

Package gifts of every shape in square or rectangular boxes. Your gifts will look polished and wrap sessions will be simple.

Jason Donnelll

The reindeer is a classic symbol of Christmas. Wrap your gift in reindeer-patterned paper and add a narrow red ribbon with gold thread details. Thread a plain white gift tag onto a ⅛-inch red ribbon. Bend greenery into a mini wreath and lay it in place on the gift tag. Then position and hot glue a deer ornament in place. Finally, tie the tag to the bow center.

Jason Donnelll

Add interest to your package by attaching any number of ribbon bands, depending on the size of your package. (We like to use an uneven number and vary the positions of the snowflake ornaments.) Overlap band ends on the back, using hot glue to secure. For each band, cut a length of eyelash trim or tinsel garland. Center it on the ribbon and glue at the back. Finish by hot gluing a plastic or acrylic snowflake ornament on top of each ribbon.

Jason Donnelll

Use a favorite ornament as a festive gift topper. Wrap your gift, placing the stripes on the diagonal. Even if you use the same paper again and again, your presents will look different due to pattern placement with some stripes running lengthwise, some widthwise, and others on the diagonal. Add a narrow green ribbon, tie a classic bow, and top with a mini toy soldier ornament.

Carson Downing

We love the bright, hand-drawn quality of these fun tags! Use the sweater-patterned tag to upscale any solid wrapping paper and top off with a yarn or twine bow. And we're pretty sure the tree tag is so cute, it will match any kind of wrapping paper.

Jason Donnelll

Instead of tying a traditional bow on your gift, tie a knot then add a third loose loop and trim the ribbon ends into a V-shape. Purchase a laser-cut letter and cover it with decorative paper (you'll find great ones in the scrapbook department). Or you can cut your own letter from cardstock. If you cut your own and plan to make multiples, we recommend covering the cardstock with paper, using spray adhesive, and then cutting out the shapes. Tie the letter to your finished bow.

Jason Donnelll

Upcycle paper straws into gift toppers or a fun DIY star ornament. Wrap your gift in layers, starting with dark patterned paper (we used black paper with gold stars), then cut a band of gold foil paper smaller than the package and add it to the center, followed by an even smaller band of white paper or a wide white satin ribbon. Wrap a length of gold eyelash cording down the center. Overlap the four gold straws and glue each to the next at the center and trim lengths as needed. Use hot glue to fasten the star to the cording and then glue a sequin to the star center.

Jason Donnelll

Narrow ribbon and festive cordings let the package tie-ons take center stage. Coat lightbulb ornaments with crafts glue and roll in red glitter. Let them dry thoroughly. (To avoid damage, suspend them by an ornament hook from a wire hanger until dry.) String bulbs on red eyelash cording and tie on your package.

Jason Donnelll

Give your holiday packages a woodland theme. Add a narrow black ribbon to your wrapped gift and tuck in a cluster of gold foliage and greenery. For a dimensional add-on, layer two laser-cut wooden bird ornaments and secure with hot glue.

Complete the natural look by adding pinecones, berries, cinnamon sticks, or red twig dogwood. Keep in mind that natural fiber string and twine made of materials such as cotton and hemp can be composted.

Jason Donnelll

Create a mini holiday scene atop your wrapping paper. Choose materials that speak to the woodland theme: woodgrain paper, ribbon with dots of falling snow, a card that sets the background with snow and forest, and mini bottle-brush trees that pull the scene forward.

Wrap your gift and add a band of ribbon down the center lengthwise. Trim the ends so they just meet, and use hot glue to hold them in place at the center front. (Any overlap might create a bump under your card.) With double-stick tape, attach a holiday card, then hot glue bottle-brush trees to the left and right of the card.

Jason Donnelll

A cupcake topper gets a new look on this wrapped Christmas gift. Cut an oval from red cardstock and use hot glue to secure it to the center of a gift wrapped in polka dot paper. Trim the toothpick from the bottom of a honeycomb tree cupcake decoration and then open it halfway. Use hot glue to attach it to the center of the red oval.

If you cannot find a printed wrap you like, simply purchase sticky dots and decorate a plain white sheet of paper.

Jason Donnelll

Check your local crafts supply store for die-cut stars with matching ribbon. Wrap a gift in black patterned paper and add a gold-metallic ribbon. Purchase a gold-glitter star to match your ribbon, or cover a star die-cut with a piece of the ribbon and trim the edges. To add dimension, put a dot of hot glue on one star tip and simply rest it inside the bow loop. Tuck in gold foliage to finish.

Jason Donnelll

Make a mini wreath by first bending wired evergreen into a circle, using needle-nose pliers to join the ends. Decorate the wreath with a circle of wired beads or a ring of mini pom-poms strung on thin wire or heavy thread. Use hot glue to hold it to the evergreen wreath, then hot glue a bow to the bottom. Tie narrow green ribbon to one wreath side. Position the wreath in the package center, bring the ribbon under and around to the opposite side, and fasten the ribbon to the other side of the wreath.

Adam Albright

A bright holiday-print tag adds a pretty pop of color to a package wrapped in classic brown paper and twine. Print on one side of the cards so you can add a personalized message on the opposite side. Add a sprig of leaves or berries to make your packages extra festive; bonus points if your embellishments match the tags!

Jason Donnelll

When you've wrapped your gift, add one band of wide satin ribbon to break up the busyness of the repeated lettering. Purchase a topper or make your own yarn pom-pom. Most craft supply stores sell yarn, and many sell a pom-pom tool. Finish by hot gluing the pom-pom to the ribbon.

Carson Downing

Give a two-in-one gift this year; these fun gift card holders double as cute gift tags. Make your own set of tags with a few paper towel tubes and some patterned paper—then simply slide a gift card into the holder. Attach it to the ribbon and it's ready to be placed under the tree.

Carson Downing

Re-create this eye-catching idea. We love the way this modern look makes a bold statement. Solid paper and a pop of bright ribbon pair perfectly with more traditional holiday elements like a sprig of evergreen and these adorable tree tags.

CARSON DOWNING

We love the fact that these colorful, festive tags go with any kind of gift wrap! Use them on a simple package like one wrapped in craft paper or solid wrapping paper, or add them to a patterned wrap or gift bag. Either way, it's sure to bring a smile to whomever you're gifting it to.

Jay Wilde

Brown paper packages are one of our favorite things. Doll yours up with our free gift tags: A pair of mittens, a green-stamp design, and a striped "To: From:" rectangle. Together they make a nostalgic trio.

Jay Wilde

The slate background color of this Christmas gift tag gives it a trendy chalkboard look. We make this tag extra easy to make by giving you the printable version. Simply click, print, and tie.

Greg Scheidemann

A pretty layered tree adds sweetness to a basic tag shape. Use a punch or hand-cut a Christmas tree shape from five scraps of green paper. Layer the scraps together and attach to a white tag mounted on a kraft paper tag.

Marty Baldwin

Create a set of personalized tree tags for each of your gifts this year. Cut out tree shapes from air-dry clay and decorate each one with paint. Our favorite part about these is that the tags double as an ornament for the recipient to keep!

Greg Scheidemann

This might be the most adorable gift tag you make all year. Stack fuzzy white pom-poms to form the body of a very fluffy snowman, and use real twigs to create arms for your very own Frosty. Use hot glue to attach the arms and use more twig pieces to create a matching hat.

William N. Hopkins

No two are exactly alike! To make a snowflake tag, poke six clusters of holes around a felt tag. String contrasting yarn through the holes, and secure in the back with hot glue.

William N. Hopkins

Have some fun outfitting a snowman made from differently-sized clear or white buttons! Attach the buttons to the tag with glue, and add a paper carrot nose, red ribbon scarf, and paper or inked-on top hat. Make a whole batch of these adorable tags so each person on your gift list gets a personalized snowman.

Just print and punch to get this scallop-edge tag; it's that easy! Since this one doesn't require glue or craft materials, it's one that would be perfect on food gifts. Attach to a cookie tin or a jar of hot chocolate mix for a cozy and cute winter gift.

Greg Scheidemann

Carols are a key part of Christmas, so why not spread the cheer to your gift tags too? The lucky recipient might just burst into song when they receive this adorable trio of stacked gift boxes adorned with rhinestone-studded tags. Hot glue round white tags atop green cardstock circles, then add gems around rub-on letters.

Greg Scheidemann

This tag is for the musical one of the bunch. Cut sheet-music patterned paper into a tag shape and the gift recipient will quickly be singing a happy tune. Glue some paper trees on top, and embellish with buttons or matching brads.

“What goes where.” City of Calgary.