Despite all the Black Friday nonsense that has been floating around the news channels in recent years, I’m more of a fan of handmade gifts wherever possible. For Christmas this year I made my Dad this Day Trip Kit (to Sunny Scarborough). It’s essentially a more imaginative way of giving money but Dad loved it because of the thought and effort that had gone into it. Also, I took the photograph on the front to personalise it further.

Earlier in the year I also made this for our Mam’s birthday after seeing the idea on Pinterest which also went down a treat:

If you’re short on time or resources then baking (and icing) a cake can also be a hit. I made the cake below for my Father- in-Law because his family hail from Blackpool. Even though it looks a bit like a toddler made it, he loved it.

I relish giving gifts. It’s so rewarding seeing the pleasure other people take in them. Personal gifts, in my experience, mean the most to people and what better way is there really to spend your time than crafting something for somebody you love?