By the third Diwali party of the season, most families have collected the same box of soan papdi at least twice. Nobody minds, exactly. But nobody remembers who gave it either.
A good Diwali return gift is small, costs the same for every guest, and gets used. The ones people talk about afterwards are usually the ones that give them something to do, especially with the kids at home for the Diwali holidays. Below are return gift ideas sorted by budget, from under ₹200 to under ₹1,000, plus a few tips on how many to buy and when to order.
Diwali this year is on Sunday, 8 November, so the weekends of 24 October and 31 October are when a lot of Diwali parties and society get-togethers will happen.
Diwali return gift ideas at a glance
| Return gift | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Mini Canvas with Wooden Easel | ₹149 (₹625 for 5) | Kids, big guest lists |
| Kitsters Playing Cards | ₹399 | The Diwali card party crowd |
| DIY Mini Painting Kit | ₹499 | Kids and teens |
| Grow in a Can | ₹549 | Families, anyone with a kitchen window |
| DIY Diya Decoration Kit | ₹649 | Everyone, it's Diwali |
| DIY Mug Marbling Kit | ₹699 | Friends who work from a desk |
| DIY Japanese Kokedama Kit | ₹799 | Plant lovers |
| DIY Sand Art Kit | ₹899 | Kids, teens and adults |
| DIY Mini Perfume Kit | ₹999 | Kitty parties, cousins, teens |
| DIY Mini Terrarium Kit | ₹999 | Close friends and family |
Diwali return gifts under ₹200
For a big guest list, this is where most people shop, and it's also where return gifts usually get forgettable. Two things work well at this price.
A mini canvas and easel. The Mini Canvas with Wooden Easel is a pre-primed canvas on a small wooden stand, ready for acrylics, oils or watercolours. One costs ₹149, three cost ₹400 and five cost ₹625, which works out to ₹125 each. Put a few colour pencils or a small paint set beside it and a child has a whole afternoon sorted.
A pair of diyas with dotting tools. Buy plain clay diyas from your local potter, two per guest, and add a set of five dotting tools (₹99). Dotting is the easiest way to decorate a diya, and the tools last long after Diwali.
Looking for something under ₹100? Homemade chikki or shakkarpara in a small glass jar with a handwritten tag is still one of the nicest return gifts there is. Effort beats price every time.
Diwali return gifts under ₹500
Playing cards for the card party. In a lot of homes, Diwali night means taash, and someone always forgets to bring a deck. Kitsters Playing Cards (₹399) are a standard 54-card deck with 52 cards and two jokers, so they work for rummy, teen patti or a long game of solitaire the next morning. As a return gift for adults, it's one of the few things guests will use that same night.
A mini painting kit for the kids. The DIY Mini Painting Kit (₹499) comes with canvas, an easel, poster paints, stencils and carbon paper for tracing the design, so a child who "can't draw" still ends up with something they'll want to show you. It's a good pick when you want every child to go home with the same thing and none of them to be disappointed.
Diwali return gifts under ₹1,000
Grow in a Can (₹549)
A small can with seeds, cocopeat and vermicompost inside. Pick from methi, basil, cilantro or oregano. Methi is one of the quickest to come up, with the first sprouts in about 5 to 7 days in indirect sunlight, which is exactly the kind of speed that keeps a child checking on it every morning. A return gift the whole family can watch grow.
DIY Diya Decoration Kit (₹649)
The most Diwali gift on this list. The Diya Decoration Kit has terracotta diyas, poster paints, mirrors and rhinestones, and painting takes 15 to 25 minutes. Give it at a party a few days before Diwali and your guests will light their own diyas on the night.
DIY Mug Marbling Kit (₹699)
Marbling means floating colour on water and dipping something through it, so no two pieces ever come out the same. The Mug Marbling Kit uses nail paints on water and has two mugs in the box, which turn into a pen holder, a brush holder or a small decor piece. A good one for friends who work from a desk, and since there are two mugs, a nice one for a couple too.
DIY Japanese Kokedama Kit (₹799)
Kokedama means "moss ball": a plant's roots wrapped in soil and moss and tied with twine, so it can hang or sit on a small dish. The kit takes 30 to 45 minutes and needs no plant experience, and the finished piece is watered with an occasional soak rather than every day. A lovely gift for the friend who keeps saying they want more plants.
DIY Sand Art Kit (₹899)
Small glass bottles with corks and coloured sand to layer inside them. The Sand Art Kit works for kids, teens and adults and comes with a video tutorial, and the finished bottles are pretty enough to sit on a shelf for years. If you're shopping for a mixed group of ages, this is the easiest choice on the list.
DIY Mini Perfume Kit (₹999)
Four essential oils, a perfume base, droppers and a spray bottle, plus a guide to top, middle and base notes. The Mini Perfume Kit suits a Diwali kitty party or cousins in their teens, because everyone ends up with a scent that's theirs alone.
DIY Mini Terrarium Kit (₹999)
A tiny garden built inside a glass bottle and sealed with a cork. The Mini Terrarium Kit takes 20 to 30 minutes to put together and lasts for months with occasional care. Keep this one for the close friends and family on your list.
The best Diwali return gifts for kids
For children, choose something they can start the same evening, because the Diwali holidays are long and the novelty of new clothes wears off by the second day. The Mini Painting Kit, the Sand Art Kit and the mini canvas are the easiest wins. Younger children will need a grown-up nearby for anything with paint, sand or glass bottles, so if the party skews very young, the mini canvas with a pack of crayons is the least messy option.
Make the return gift part of the party
Here's an idea that works especially well for a house party with kids: set up a diya painting corner. Put down a mat, open a couple of Diya Decoration Kits and let guests paint one diya each during the evening. The paint dries in 10 to 15 minutes, so by the time dessert is done, every guest has a dry diya to take home. The return gift and the party activity become the same thing. For more ideas along these lines, see our list of house party activities.
A few practical tips before you order
- Buy two more than your guest list. Someone always brings an extra child, a visiting cousin or the neighbour who dropped in.
- Keep one price for everyone. Same gift, or the same price band, avoids awkward comparisons at the door.
- Order early. Our kits take 4 to 7 working days to arrive, so order at least ten days before your party, and earlier if you need a large number of one kit.
- Label them. A small tag with each guest's name makes even a ₹149 gift feel personal. If you'd like us to wrap your order, gift wrap is a ₹50 add-on in the cart.
- Giving gifts at work? Office budgets work differently. Our guide to Diwali gifts for employees under ₹500 covers that.
Diwali return gifts: frequently asked questions
What is a good Diwali return gift for kids?
Something they can start that same evening: a mini painting kit, a sand art kit or a mini canvas with an easel. All three keep children busy over the Diwali holidays and leave them with something they made themselves.
What can I give as a Diwali return gift under ₹200?
A mini canvas with a wooden easel (₹149, or ₹125 each in a pack of five), or two plain clay diyas with a set of dotting tools for decorating them. Homemade sweets in a small jar with a handwritten tag also make a lovely gift under ₹100.
What are good Diwali return gifts for adults and friends?
A deck of playing cards for the Diwali card party, a DIY mini perfume kit, a kokedama plant kit or a mini terrarium. Gifts that give people something to do tend to be remembered longer than another box of sweets.
How many return gifts should I buy for a Diwali party?
Count your confirmed guests and add two. Someone almost always brings an extra child or a visiting relative, and a spare gift saves an awkward moment at the door.
When should I order Diwali return gifts?
At least ten days before your party. Kitsters kits take 4 to 7 working days to arrive. For a party on the weekend of 24 October, order by about 13 October; for the weekend of 31 October, by about 20 October.
This Diwali, send your guests home with something to make instead of something to store. You'll find all of these, and more, in our return gift ideas and Diwali DIY kits and gifts collections.
