This Christmas, forget the mall or online frenzy – nothing beats a gift that’s been made with love (and maybe a bit of frustration if you’re new to crafting).

Too often, Christmas feels like a marathon of frantic shopping and a spectacular dent in the credit card. But it doesn’t have to be! There are plenty of ways to rethink gift-giving during the festive season (and beyond) that won’t have your bank account sweating like a snowman in the sun.

Personalised, hand-made gifts aren’t just wallet-friendly, they also come with a side of sentimentality. Plus, you can jazz them up with some funky packaging – think recycled wrapping paper and leftover ribbon for that shabby-chic, “I totally planned this” retro look.

Spice up your Gifts

Even if you are no Jamie Oliver in the kitchen, it’s easy to mix together fragrant spices into an intoxicating spice rub which will have your friends and family begging you for the recipe.

A great way to start is to take one tablespoon each of whole coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and black peppercorns and fry them gently in a dry, hot pan, taking care not to burn them, until you smell their aromas being released.

Simply pop the mixture into a recycled glass jar, spread your artistic wings with a hand-drawn label and top it off with an eye-catching ribbon. If you want to make the gift a little more special, include a recipe that uses your spice mixture.

Fizzy Bath Bombs

Fizzy bath bombs are like giant alka-seltzers for your bath and are designed to moisturise, soothe and condition the skin. A great Christmas gift, they are quick and easy to make and, best of all, most of the ingredients can be found in the supermarket.

Using a dry bowl, mix together one tablespoon of citric acid, three tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda and two teaspoons of sweet almond oil. Be sure that all the utensils you use are dry as the mixture will start to fizz if it comes into contact with water.

Pop the mixture into bath bomb moulds, ice cube trays or small silicon moulds and set over night. Once you have mastered the recipe, let your creative juices flow and experiment by adding flower petals, glitter and essential oils to the mix.

Luscious Lip Gloss

If you care about what you, and your family and friends, put on their skin, making your own lip gloss is the perfect solution to save money and get a gorgeous pout.

All you need is beeswax, almond oil and cocoa butter, all natural and inexpensive! Melt two tablespoons of both beeswax and cocoa butter in a double boiler – just in the same way you would melt chocolate – and then add 100mls of almond and stir until dissolved.

If you want a cream-like consistency add less beeswax and if you want a thicker wax-like lip balm, add more beeswax. Get creative and add flavours, mica glitter powder and colours to make your Christmas lips shine.