Gifts at Xmas

If like me you set a yourself a budget every year for Christmas, and then go way over it, there are a few things you might want to consider. Whether you have children or just family and friends to buy for, unless you have the money, it can be a very expensive time of year. Every year my budget is about the same, a set amount on each child and a set amount for each relative. I don't go mad but I do like giving presents.

Children and Christmas creates a round of I wants, and the advertisers know this and use it. Suddenly things that your child wouldn't have wanted three months ago is a must have and the toys you thought you were buying are no longer of interest. So what do you do?

Firstly the Christmas list for Santa is a god send. Let them write one in November and revise it a few times. If the children are older and use the internet ask them to find the item they want on line and put the price they found next to it. My children have always been told that I send a set amount of money to Santa each year for their presents and then he decides whether they have been good or not and chooses how to spend the money. (Which obviously pays the elves wages for making the toys.) I then ask them to add up what everything costs on their list and discuss with them whether they think that this is too much money for Christmas. I tell them how much money I have to send to Santa (usually an amount below my budget) and they go away and decide which presents they want the most, this way if Santa thinks they have been very well behaved he can get them a few extras.

Secondly if their list has some things on that are smaller or lower priced I provide a list for relatives, who want to buy the children gifts, so that they have an idea of what to get. This means the kids get presents they want as well as reducing the amount of times where they get something they don't really want and pull faces in front of the poor relative who thought it was a great choice.

Family presents are a little different. We often have some idea of what we want to buy for people but others are a little more tricky. I have found over recent years that most relatives who are not immediate family are happy that you thought of them and accept things you have made yourself. Sometimes this gets an even warmer response as they know you where thinking of them when you made it.

Some good home made gifts are items like chutneys or jams, cakes and biscuits or even soaps and bath treats you have created. Most are fairly easy to make, although with soap you need to plan well in advance, and the majority are also fairly cheap. If you can source some nice cheap baskets and material (perhaps from an old table cloth or curtain that you can cut and hem) then perhaps you can make your own hampers. Remember though the aim is to keep things simple and cheap so don't over stock it because you keep having more ideas.

Checking the internet often and shops for sales from early November is also a good idea as some amazing bargains can be found. There is nothing like giving someone a gift that they know usually costs a lot of money but that you managed to get on offer for much less. They don't need to know you got a bargain. There are many sites where they gather offers for you and then you can take advantage of them. I love finding toys reduced and gifts that I know someone will love.

So make some lists, plan your budget and have fun. It is Christmas after all. And if you are really lucky you may have enough left to send to Santa for him to bring you something.