“Do we really need favors?” my sister asked, holding a glue gun and looking at 30 empty mason jars.
“You don’t need them,” I said. “But everyone loves leaving with something small.”
She filled those jars with hot cocoa that night, and not one guest left without one. If you’re hunting for Christmas baby shower favors that guests will use and not toss, this list is for you. You’ll get seven ideas with real prices, tag wording, and timing so you can plan the whole thing in one sitting.
Plan Before You Buy
A little math now saves a lot of stress in December. Do it before you click “add to cart.”
Budget and Headcount Math
Plan on $1 to $5 per guest. Most hosts land at $2 to $3, and that’s plenty.
Count your guest list, then add 10 to 15 percent. For 30 guests, make 35 favors. That covers plus-ones, a surprise visitor, and the one jar you drop. At $2.50 each, 35 favors cost about $87.50.
Order-By Dates
Start four to six weeks before the shower. Personalized ornaments and Etsy orders need the most lead time, because holiday shipping slows everything down.
DIY favors can wait until two weeks out. Cookies can be baked up to a week ahead and iced two days before the shower. Other edible favors should be made in the last three to five days.
The catch:
Shipping delays hit hardest in the first two weeks of December. If your shower is on a December weekend, order anything custom by early November.
Keep It a Baby Shower
Pick one baby detail for every favor. A tiny onesie tag, the baby’s initial, or the words “Little Christmas joy” does the job. Without it, your favors look like leftovers from an office party.
Edible and Drinkable Favors
Food favors work because nobody has to find a shelf for them. They get eaten, and that’s the whole point.
1. Mini Hot Cocoa Jars
This is the favor I’d pick if you only make one thing. It looks cozy, it costs about $2 to $2.50 each, and guests can use it that same week.
What you need for 35 jars:
- 35 eight-ounce jars with lids (about $1 to $1.25 each in a bulk pack)
- About 18 cups of store-bought cocoa mix
- 2 bags of mini marshmallows
- 1 bag of peppermint candies, crushed
- Kraft tags and red velvet ribbon
- Avery round labels or a Canva tag design, printed at home
How to build them:
- Set up an assembly line: jars, cocoa, marshmallows, peppermint, lids.
- Fill each jar about two-thirds with cocoa mix, roughly half a cup.
- Add a layer of mini marshmallows, then a spoonful of crushed peppermint.
- Seal the lid and tie on the ribbon and tag.
- Print the directions on the tag: “Stir 3 tablespoons into 8 oz of hot milk.”
Plan on 45 minutes for 35 jars if a friend helps. Pour with a wide funnel and you’ll keep the rims clean.
The mistake to avoid: filling jars to the brim. Marshmallows need room, or the layers squash flat and look messy by party day.
The catch:
Cocoa mix has milk in it, and some brands carry nut warnings. Add a small “contains milk” line to the tag.
2. Popcorn Bags with a Punny Tag
Fill a small cellophane bag with popcorn, then tie on a tag that reads “Thanks for poppin’ by.” Each one costs under $1.
Pop it the morning of the shower so it stays crisp. Skip these for toddler guests under 4, since popcorn is a choking risk.
3. Cookie Bags (A Cautionary Tale)
I once watched a host bake 40 fancy iced cookies three days before a shower. By party day, the red icing had bled into the white, and half the stars looked like smudges.
Then a guest asked if the cookies had nuts. Nobody knew, because the bakery cookbook never said, and no tag was on the bags.
Do it better. Bake the cookies up to a week ahead and freeze them undecorated. Ice them two days out, and let royal icing dry fully, about 8 hours, before bagging. Then add a tag that says “Sweet favors for our sweet baby” and lists the main allergens.
If baking sounds like too much, buy a dozen decorated cookies from a local bakery and bag them in sets of one. You’ll pay $2 to $3.50 per cookie, and you’ll skip the icing meltdown.
Keepsake and Cozy Favors
These cost a bit more. They also stick around long after the cookies are gone.
4. Clear Fillable Ornaments
Buy shatterproof acrylic ornaments in a pack of 12 to 24. They run about $1 to $2 each on Amazon or at Michaels. Fill them with confetti, tiny paper stars, or shredded paper in your shower colors.
Add a wooden tag with “Little Christmas joy” on one side and the baby’s due date on the back. If you own a Cricut, cut the baby’s initial from vinyl and press it on the front.
Set them on a small tabletop tree as your favor table. Guests pick one off the branch on the way out. It works as decor first and a favor second.
One caveat:
Glass ornaments look pretty but break in a coat pocket or a car footwell. Choose shatterproof so they survive the drive home.
5. Lip Balm with a Holiday Tag
Winter air dries out lips, and a tube of balm fits any purse. Buy a 12-pack of lip balm for around $1 each on Amazon or Etsy.
Clip each tube to a kraft card that says “Thanks for celebrating with us.” Done in 20 minutes.
6. Red Onesie Soap and Mini Candles
Onesie-shaped soap is the one favor that says “baby shower” without a single word. Go with red for Christmas. Goat milk soap is gentler on sensitive skin, so it makes a safe pick for most guests.
Happy Times Favors and Etsy sellers sell personalized sets for about $2.50 to $4.50 each. Add a tag with your guest of honor’s name and the shower date.
A pair of tealight holders in a favor box costs about $3 to $5 per guest. Choose a gentle scent like vanilla or pine. Strong scents can bother pregnant guests.
Open flames are a burn risk, so keep tealights away from children and never leave them unattended. Use only enclosed or battery-operated candles around guests.
The catch:
Soap and candles cost more than food favors. Stick with them if your guest list is under 25, or your totals climb fast.
One More Cheap Favor
7. Custom-Label Matchboxes
Matchboxes are the cheapest favor here, at about 50 cents each. Wrap a printed band around each box. Try “Our little spark is on the way.”
Pair them with a mini candle if you want a stronger gift. Keep matches away from children at the party.
Match the Favor to Your Theme
Pick the theme first, and the favor follows.
- Classic red and green: hot cocoa jars, cookie bags, and red ribbon.
- Pink Christmas: pink ornaments, pink cocoa mix, and pink-frosted cookies in pink favor bags.
- Nightmare Before Christmas: black and purple candy bags, Jack and Sally ornaments, and tags that say “Simply meant to be.”
- Winter wonderland: silver and white ornaments with snowflake tags.
- Woodland: wood slice tags, small pinecones, and deer ornaments.
Packaging and Tags That Look Store-Bought
Good packaging makes a $2 favor look like a $6 one. Use cellophane bags, kraft tags, and velvet ribbon. They cost pennies and read as polished.
Design tags in Canva or print Avery templates on your home printer. Try these three lines:
- “Thank you for celebrating with us”
- “Little Christmas joy”
- “Thanks for poppin’ by”
Set your favors on a tray or in baskets with a small sign that says “Take one, with thanks.” Keep every favor travel-friendly, so it fits in a purse and survives a car ride. Snap a photo of the tray before guests arrive.
Christmas Baby Shower Favors FAQs
How much should I spend per favor?
Plan on $1 to $5 per guest, with $2 to $3 as the sweet spot. DIY and bulk buys land closer to $1 to $2.
How many favors should I make?
Make one for every invited guest, then add 10 to 15 percent extra. For 30 guests, that means 35 favors.
Should I make or buy my favors?
DIY saves money on cocoa jars, popcorn, and tags. Buy personalized items like onesie soap and custom ornaments, since they take skill and time. A mix of both works well.
When should I order or start?
Start four to six weeks before the shower. Order custom items by early November for a December date, and bake or pop edible favors in the last few days.
Back to the Jars
My sister’s 30 jars sat in a neat row by the door, each with a red ribbon and a handwritten tag. Guests picked one up on the way out and smiled. That’s all a favor has to do.
Pick one idea from this list, do the math, and set a date to start. Your guests will leave with something small and warm, and you’ll have one less thing to worry about.