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8 creative Christmas gift ideas on a budget

Whether your budget is low, you've not got time for Christmas shopping or you're just stuck on what to get your loved one this year, here's 8 creative gift ideas that will cover all those bases.

1. A framed print or photo

   We take so many photos these days, and the closest our favourite ones come to being seen is on our phone wallpaper backgrounds.

   Select your best snap and order a print online or via a printing app you can download onto your phone.

   If photos aren't your thing, you could look at getting a cool poster made of something they enjoy or a quote that you know will mean a lot to them.

   Find a nice frame to match and job's a good'un. Minimal effort, maximum smiles from the recipient.

2. Chocolate orange wreath

   Now, THIS - is a gift worth having. Nothing says Christmas like a beautifully decorated wreath, and if you combine that with several chocolate oranges, well, you've got the epitomy of a Christmas miracle.

   So simple, yet so great. Get your hands on 8 chocolate oranges (or more depending on how big you want the wreath, just remember it will be fairly heavy!) Then you're going to want some cellophane - cut into a decent size strip and line up the chocolates leaving a small gap inbetween, then fasten with some tape.

   You might want to wrap the oranges in a few layers, depending on whether you want the wreath to be hung or just as a gift or table decoration.

   Get creative and look at using different colours or printed cellophane.

   

   pinterest.co.uk

   Idea: If you wanted to be really thrifty and give the wreath a natural orange smell, you could use half chocolate half real oranges. Roulette?!

   Get some pretty Christmas ribbon or twine, and tie mini bows inbetween each orange, tightly securing them in place with no gaps. You can get as decorative as you like at this stage. Glitter, ivy, mistletoe, tinsel... go wild.

   Write a label and tie it with a loop for your loved-one to hang their wreath in pride of place. Maybe remind them this one's not for hanging over the fire.

3. Personalised Christmas tree bauble

   Who wouldn't want to see their face gleaming back at them through the branches of their Christmas tree?

   A personalised Christmas bauble is a great gift for all. Parents, grandparents, girlfriends, colleagues. It's thoughtful, on theme and reasuable year on year.

   Just choose the photos you'd like inside the bauble (some you could double-side with a message too) order the baubles and wrap carefully.

4. Winter skin care kit

   Dry hands, sore nail cuticles and split lips. Not want you want for party season.

   When our schedules get busy, our skin care is usually the thing that takes the biggest hit over the winter. So, putting together a mini pack of pocket moisturisers is a practical AND thoughtful gift.

   • Lip balm
   • Hand/cuticle cream
   • Exfoliating bodywash and mitt
   • Hair conditioner
   • Face cream
   • Heel/Foot moisturiser

   

   instyle.com

5. A magazine snack box

   Flicking through a magazine has now become an old-fashioned activity. But every now and then it's really nice to settle down and relax with a mag.

   Find out what your mates into, whether it's motorbikes, fashion, music or Z-list celebs and pick up a handful of mags in that genre. Then, to make sure they don't think you've just nabbed them off the table from the Doctor's waiting room, go on the hunt for their favourite snacks to accompany their relaxation hamper.

   Biscuits, crisps, sweets, maybe a small bottle of wine or few cans of their beer of choice. The roll up the magazines and present them nicely in wicker hamper or festive gift bag.

   A thoughtful gift, that will cost you under £10. Because after all, you can't really hold onto an iPad in the bath.

6. Sharpie mug

   In Britain, we drink 165 million cups of tea a day - which is apparently enough to fill about 20 Olympic swimming pools! So it goes without saying that a mug will always come in handy and be well used.

   But in light of the fact every household probably already has a cupboard full of cups, this one needs to be special. All you need is a Sharpie (they're the super resistant permanent marker pens) and a white mug.

   You can get as creative as you like with your decoration, but if you're worried your design could end up looking like a child's art, why not go for a personal touch and draw out their initials.

   Check out this design, simple but effective.

   

   feelingnifty.com/sharpie-mugs-diy-tutorial

7. Map wall art

   You don't have to be a geography geek to enjoy a gift like this. Whether your loved one is an avid traveller or you'd like to pinpoint special moments, this one if a real heart-warmer.

   • Where you first met.
   • Your best holiday destination.
   • Your favourite event together.

   By a decent sized map, and cut out the areas you've chosen into hearts or squares. About the size of your palm. Then present them nicely on a piece of card, and either print out and write the imporant locations underneath each one.

   

   etsy.com

8. Christmas cookies

   This one doesn't need explaining. It does what it says on the biscuit tin.

   Who wouldn't love some homemade biscuits to tuck into on Christmas day?

   Tip: don't forget to get all the ingredients for your bake before the shops close for Christmas!

Feeling suitably festive? Check out ingenie's Christmas playlist 2019, the perfect soundtrack while you're getting gift nifty.