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Home-made Christmas gifts are a great solution when your budget won't stretch far this particular year, and you still want to go beyond the pair of socks or a box of mid-range chocolates. They are also fantastic for children to make (smaller ones might need help!) for their parents, grandparents or other relatives.

Planning is absolutely crucial here, even more when making gifts on the budget then when making gifts in general. What you can make will, obviously, depend on your budget: you usually need at least a bit of money for materials and, crucially, on your skill. But even if you don't normally devote much time or effort to crafts, you can still make some memorable presents.

Spend some time thinking about who would appreciate what. People appreciate the effort and the thought that went into home made gifts, but only if the thought actually did go into them. Think about the giftee's taste, lifestyle and interests. Make a list of people and enlist close family's help with suggestions. START EARLY.

Really, I mean it. START EARLY. This way you will not only have time to actually make the things, but also will be much more likely to be able to pick up materials and other supplies for lower prices or even for free.

The reality of making hand-made things is that you will need to invest time: they are generally propositions for cash-poor, time-rich people, although some things (food, simple personalised items) are obviously quicker to make than others (woodwork, crochet, sewing).

Packaging is important: you can create mini-hampers with baskets, tins and boxes recovered from other products or bought in charity shops, car boot sales and similar. Cellophane from flowers or other gifts can be recycled, as can be bows, raffia and ribbons.

COOK IT!

The best option as the skills are universal, and it's the effort and presentation that counts although in all honesty it won't necessarily be the cheapest cheap present. But a lot can be achieved by effort made while looking for a recipe and some finishing touches with packaging. Food is good for more generic presents, and especially to people who are not likely to encounter home baking a lot (busy bosses, old bachelors who don't delight in cookery etc.).

Still, try to choose the best quality ingredients you can afford: it's better to give a smaller quantity or size made with the best than a large one made with poor material.

*Cake

Make a rich fruit cake that would keep for a longish time, wrap it in crinkly cellophane with a big bow

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