Why this year’s best Christmas present really might just be no present at all

Arecent poll by Oxfam has shown that a third of shoppers plan to spend less money than usual on Christmas presents this year. The only surprising thing about that figure is that it isn’t higher.

Over the next few weeks, Christmas trees will steadily begin appearing in windows.

And with that comes the expectation that your bank account is about to take a hammering.

There is always pressure to spend more than we can afford in the run up to Christmas.

But have you seen the brilliant video by money-saving expert Martin Lewis that does the rounds every year?

In it, he argues that sometimes the best gift you can give is nothing at all.

He speaks about the pressure reciprocal gift-giving puts on people who can’t afford to fork out cash on presents for an evergrowing list of extended family and friends.

And he says opting out of the madness brings relief to both parties.

Advice to scale down the Christmas capitalism has never been more timely, as the cost-of-living crisis continues to cause misery.

My daughter’s school sent out a letter a few weeks ago asking parents not to buy gifts for school staff this Christmas.

It mentioned the cost-of-living crisis and the undue stress buying gifts for teachers can put on parents.

Instead, the head teacher said they would welcome homemade cards or drawings, or a few tins in the foodbank collection, if families can afford to do so.

It was a excellent intervention by the school.

With one stroke of her pen, the head teacher relieved hundreds of parents of the obligation to keep up with the Joneses.

I’ve already started buying Christmas gifts. I prefer to get the shopping out of the way nice and early so I can concentrate on the more enjoyable aspects of the festive season, like eating wee sausages and brewing up a batch of orange sugar syrup for my festive whisky cocktails.

And I’m trying to be more mindful this year – not only of what I’m spending, but what I’m buying too.

My favourite Christmas present last year was a pair of slippers from my daughter.

Noticing that my old pair were looking decidedly shabby, she spent ages on my Amazon account choosing me a new pair.

When they arrived, she wrapped them all by herself and the result was magnificent.

So that’s the vibe I’m going for with presents this year.

No tat, and no seasonal filler presents that nobody actually wants. If it’s not useful, thoughtful or beautiful, then I’m not buying it.

We all know the best parts of Christmas don’t cost any money. But no shmaltzy quote about spending time with loved ones being the best gift of all is going to erase that pressure to spend, spend, spend.

This festive season is going to be extraordinarily stressful for millions of people across the country.

Most of the tips for saving money simply aren’t realistic either.

Homemade gifts are a wonderful thing to receive but they require skill, time and materials that many of us don’t have.

But it’s relatively easy to do what Martin Lewis says and initiate a mutuallybeneficial gift ban with a few adults that you’d usually buy for.

Managing expectations would also make a big difference.

If you are in a position where you can splurge on expensive toys and gadgets for your children this year, make sure they know those presents are from you, and not from Santa.

No parent should have to try to explain to their child why Santa brought them a few books and some chocolate, while he kitted their pal out with the latest Xbox.

Some parental solidarity over the next month will go a long way.

So much for the snowflake generation. I’d like to offer a word of caution to any parents who might be looking for some Christmas craft ideas to do with their wee ones.

Don’t – and I can’t stress this enough – teach your child how to make paper snowflakes.

It’s too late for me but there is still time to save yourselves.

In her own words, my eight-year-old is now ‘’a bit of a snowflake expert’.’

She has no idea how much printer paper costs these days and she is getting through it at an alarming rate.

There are teeny tiny snippets of paper all over the floor. The hoover is no match for my very own Edwina Scissorhands.

She even managed to convince her teacher to allow her to give a snowflakecutting tutorial to the class.

I’m nervously awaiting the angry messages from the mum Whatsapp group when their own homes are overrun with the things.

It was nice in the beginning. We made a garland that I hung in the hallway. Then her cutting got better, faster and more frenzied and that’s when things started to get out of hand.

Removing the tablet for screen-free time will be a doddle compared to the negotiation skills it’s going to take to prise the scissors from her hands.

Sometimes the best gift you can give is nothing at all

PRIORITIES: With families struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, maybe it’s time more people considered ditching Christmas gifts?