The credit crunch has been making the new for over a year now. 'Make do and mend' has firmly established itself amongst recessionistas everywhere. Homemade is no longer a toilet roll penguin that the kids made at school.
1. Take one biscuit jar or cake tin. Fill with the ingredients for cookies or muffins or whatever and include a handwritten recipe. (Present idea courtesy of Eva)
2. Framed photos. Grandparents always appreciate photographs of their grandchildren. This year, of course, members of my family wil be having framed photos that I have taken, developed and printed myself!
3. A hamper. This can be made up of food and/or drink but doesn't need to be. How about a Pamper Hamper? Bubble bath, bath pillow, body lotion, candles, book and a bottle of wine. Or a 'girls' night in' hamper? DVD, candles, nail polish, face mask, toe seperaters and a bottle of bubbly. An old shoe box can easily be covered in some Christmas paper and be used as the hamper.
4. Buy a lovely mug (Cath Kidson do some very cute ones) and fill with hot chocolate sachets, marshmallows and a milk frother. Or for a tea lover, fill with speciality teas and a strainer.
5. Of course, if like my sister, you're a bit of a whizz on the sewing machine, you could make stockings - in any size. Helena made me mini stockings for my friends to go on the tree - just big enough for a chocolate and a pair of stud earrings.
6. Personalised cookies. Ikea do a set of Christmas cookies cutters, you can then ice them with friends' names. You can even put a whole in the top (before putting them in the oven) and add some ribbon so that they can hang on a tree.
7. One of my girl friends bought some champagne flutes and painted them for each of us. These are truly beautiful gifts.
8. If you don't have time for any of these, why not be imaginative with the wrapping? You could grab a bag of chocolate money and wrap the present up as a pass-the-parcel with pieces of chocolate money in each layer.
9. If homenade presents don't appeal, perhaps you'd prefer to make your Christmas cards. If you send a lot of cards, you could just handmake those for family members. Glitter glue makes everything look festive - I think!