Whether it's between your best friends or your work colleagues, Secret Santa gifts really seems to stress people out! But it is great way to save money and make your Christmas shopping an easier task. Hopefully I am about to share some ideas that might help you out for next year.

If you are unsure of the 'Secret Santa' concept it can work in one of two ways; One way is to pick out the name of one person, then you buy a gift for that person. Another way is to pick out whether to buy a gift for a boy or a girl, then raffle your gifts out. This can seem like Russian Roulette to some people! Then there is a set budget of how much to spend on your gift. This can be a major struggle as the budget is normally quite low - usually £5 or less.

The main thing to remember with Secret Santa is that it is a secret - so you can't reveal who you are buying your gift for. 

Unfortunatly, a lot of people use Secret Santa to get rid of unwanted presents they have previously received. Don't do it! Just think, if you didn't want it, chances are they won't want it either!

So here are some simple do's and dont's to Secret Santa gifts.

Don't - buy a generic box of chocolates from the supermarket. 

As the easiest option, your gift may seem thoughtless to your recipient. Also, chances are they will receive a huge amount if these over Christmas from other people. And as soon as January rolls around they are a huge burden to everyone detoxing from the festive period. 

Instead, why not visit your local town or city center which may have a boutique chocolatier or Christmas market. It's highly likely that you will be going into town at some point to buy your other Christmas gifts anyway. 

Then you can purchase some really special hand made chocolates or truffles. You may get less for your money, but it will seem much more thoughtful and they will see how much effort you have made.

However, if you are a dab hand in the kitchen, you can't go wrong with handmade gifts such as cupcakes, truffles or home made jam. I bought a few jars of 'Christmas jam' from our local farmer's market this year and added them to some gift baskets I made. Then I added some fabric over the lid and tied it on the jar with a tag and twine to add a more personal touch.

For my Secret Santa gift this year, I made these Terry's chocolate orange cupcakes (an appropriate flavour for Christmas). I presented them in a special cupcake box and tied it shut with curling ribbon. You can buy these cupcake boxes in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colours. They usually hold; 1, 2, 4, 6, 12 or 24 cupcakes, so it depends on how generous you are feeling. You can buy them over the internet from places such as ebay or amazon, but I always get mine from Home Bargains. I also covered them in an orange edible glitter, which made them seem even more festive! This I bought from ebay for £2.95 with free delivery, and it arrived at my door in only 2 days! This glitter stretched far, so if you don't use it often then try to choose a colour that your are likely to use again.

Or, if your not skilled in the kitchen, they sell ready to build gingerbread houses at IKEA for £2.50. Then you can buy them a few sweets and icing to complete their own 'make your own gingerbread house kit'. 

Do - get creative.

If you work in a creative environment, I would recommend getting on amazon and buying this book entitled 'Swoon; The heartthrob activity book for good colour-inners. Not only is this gift hilarious and original, it is also fun of activities and colouring in pages they can have fun doing over Christmas. And to make a bit of extra effort, I attached a set of colouring pencils to the gift with multi-coloured washi tape.

Don't - buy cheap, generic or supermarket soaps or smellies.
Believe it or not, you can get your hands on some really great and inexpensive perfumes from Wilkinson's. The choice is limited compared to other high street shops, but they do carry the most popular perfumes and cost, on average, around £5 less then The Perfume Shop or Boots.

But if you do find yourself in Boots then you can't go wrong with anything by Soap & Glory. They have everything from make up to moisturisers. But try to steer clear of foot cream, as they may take offence. Lush is also a great shop to buy a Secret Santa gift from if you have one locally, as they're gifts are already beautifully wrapped - so that saves you a job!

Do -avoid alcohol.
This could go one of two ways. Firstly, you shouldn't assume that the recipient will appreciate a bottle of wine, as many people don't drink or are very choosy over what they like. Unless you know them there's a huge chance of getting this wrong. Meaning they will end up with something that will just take up room in a cabinet somewhere until next Christmas when they give it back for their Secret Santa.

However, if you do know them well and know what they like, then this could be a great gift! And if you have a boy to buy for, why not buy them a bottle of Jack Daniels or jägermeister? Boys are very particular about what beers or ales they like, so spirits may be the safer option.

Hope this helps.

My boyfriend and I have been living together for a few years now and we are beginning to run out of space in our apartment, so this year we decided to take a different approach to our Christmas gifts. 

I bought my partner and I an evening sushi class at Yo Sushi! My best friend highly recommended this after she tried it with her partner last year. We each have a place on a 3 hour sushi school course where we will learn how to cook Japanese rice, cut fish and roll various types of sushi. We will both also leave with a Sushi School booklet with a step by step guide to everything we learnt, a 25% off voucher to use on our next visit to Yo Sushi, a professional sushi rolling mat and we get to take home everything we made on the course.

This costs £30 per person or £50 for two. These Sushi Schools are available at 40 locations across the country, but you can only purchase this gift in store, via email or over the phone. The phone numbers and locations are all listed on line. I will let you know how it goes!

Subscription boxes... I had never heard of this great gift idea until my friend Amy introduced me to the concept. Similar to a magazine subscription, you or a friend receive a box full of goodies shipped to your door each month. In America you can get a huge variety of subscription boxes, from men's clothes and selections of meat, to Japanese sweets and 'nerdy' collectibles. However, in the UK we are much more limited. But one we do have is Birchbox.

Birchbox send out a selection box of beauty and lifestyle products to try every month. Then, if you like any of the products they send, you can simply go online at birchbox.co.uk and buy the bigger versions. Each month you will recieve 5 luxury samples, carefully selected and tailored to suit your beauty profile - which you fill in when you sign up.

This is perfect for a mum, sister or girlfriend who you want to spent a bit of extra money on but you're not too sure what to get. You can subscribe for yourself or for a gift for 3 months for the price of £32.95, 6 months for the price of £52.95 and 12 months for the price of £92.95. And if you order a 6-12 month subscription before the 15th December, they will also receive a limited edition Christmas box worth over £60, a free bracelet worth £12 and their first box will arrive to their door in time for Christmas! Just remember to let them know that something special is arriving for them.

And if you are sill unsure, you can go on their website and look at all of the previous months boxes to see what types of products you might receive.

My cousin, Stacey, just turned 26, and as she has moved into a fabulous new home, so I decided to make her a few presents to dot around her house.






Firstly, I bought her a new home goody bag filled with post it notes (a good staple to have in any home), a mug (a great gift for anyone that drinks a lot of tea or coffee), a little lunch bag (as she has a new job in the city so it will keep her lunch cool on her commute)

Then I lovingly handmade her 2 gifts. For the first gift I embroidered a girl's face with vitage style hair and glasees, which many people have said looks just like her - bonus! Once I had finished embroidering I pulled it taught, trimmed off the excess fabric and tied a lovely ribbon to the top of the hoop so she can hang it where she pleases. Then, for the second gift, I searched high and low for some lovely wooden vintage frames, which I ended up getting from ebay. Once they had been delivered and I could double check the sizes, I designed and cut the silhouettes of Alice and the white rabbit from Disney's Alice In Wonderland. One for each frame.

About a month ago I posted that my boyfriend bought us both tickets to Chester Zoo for my 25th birthday. Well I was counting down the days, minutes and seconds and I was not disappointed - it was the most amazing day! However, we were only one of a handful of couples there without children. I would highly recommend going if you were considering it, as it was possibly the best gift I have ever received. It was amazing value for money as we were there from 12 noon until we got kicked out at closing time at 6pm! And we weren't dawdling around. We managed to get around really easily without having to use a map. The enclosures for all of the animals were huge - my favourite being the large bat cave where bats are flying freely around all of the visitors. Also, I have to say the facilities were excellent. There were tonnes of places to eat - there were little coffee huts which sold an array of hot & cold drinks and snacks such as crisps and hot dogs every 50 yards or so. Then there were ice cream stands probably every 100 yards and seated cafes probably every 300 yards - so you were never left searching for anywhere to eat or drink. And at the other end of the park there is an eatery that serves everything you can imagine - burgers, fish and chips, pasta, salads, sandwiches, anything you would want - great if you're needing to please a large group of people. And the fact that there were so many places meant that there was never much of a queue. My advice to anyone going would defiantly be to; wear flat shoes as you will be doing tonnes of walking, and wear layers of comfortable, loose fitting clothing. Most of the indoor enclosures are uncomfortably warm - whilst on that note, make sure you always have a bottle of water with you.

Then after our very tiring day, my boyfriend had organised for us to stay at a gorgeous local hotel, sitting right on the border to Wales. This was an amazing idea as we had such an exhausting day that we were able to just come back and chill out. The hotel was also a spa and restaurant, so we didn't have to go far for anything we needed and we even had a time for some pampering.

My best northern friend is turning 26 this weekend,  and as she set the bar so high with everything she did for me for my birthday I had a lot to live up to.

Meg came up with the great idea to get a few of us to chip in and buy her something really special. Firstly, she had remembered that Emma mentioned her purse was becoming a bit 'worse for wear'. So that was a great start. Then, after a little more digging, we found out she was also after a new handbag.

After we found the perfect set, we also decided to treat her to a lovely silver bunting necklace and a box of Jaffa cakes, as they are her favourite. She was chuffed to bits!

And as she knows how much of a baker I am, I couldn't miss the opportunity to make her an erray of delicious delights. I donned my favourite apron, headed to the kitchen and prrpared her a lemon and poppyseed loaf from the Hummingbird bakery cookbook, and a jar full of tea bag shaped biscuits dipped in lemon icing. This recipe was adapted from one in the Women's Institute tea time cookbook. I even tied little branding tags to each biscuit to really make them look like tea bags.

And as I wouldn't be seeing my best friend on her birthday (because she was lucky enough to be flying off to sunny Portugal), I decided to rush over to the Trafford centre and surprise her on their way to the airport with lunch at Selfridges - just like when she surprised me on my birthday!

It was my 25th birthday last week and my fiends and family made it the best birthday I have ever had!

Firstly, as my birthday is within the same week as both of my parents, we decided to make a whole weekend of it. We jumped on the train and spent a lovely day out in the city of York. Here we spent the day visiting the National Railway museum and the York Chocolate Story. My dad and I are quite geeky when it comes to trains and I have to say the National Railway museum was an amazing day out. If you haven't been I would definitely recommend it, especially as the entry fee is only a suggested donation of £3 each. And if you find yourself getting a little peckish while you're there you should defiantly try one of their lovely eateries. The Dining Car restaurant, located in the Station Hall and right between the royal carriages, is a unique experience. Your tables and chairs are set out like a Victorian inspired dining car and serves lovingly presented lunches and home baked cakes.

Or you could also eat in the 'Mallard Cafe' located within the Great Hall amongst their magnificent locomotives, including Mallard itself. You can indulge yourself and enjoy a delicious menu filled with locally sourced hot and cold deli food and bakery treats. The staff were lovely and extremely accommodating with us on our visit.

The York chocolate story was also very good and I learned a lot about chocolate, but, in my opinion, it was far too expensive. It was £9.50 entry per adult and you only got a free chocolate lolly at the end. I was expecting to eat chocolate constantly around the tour for that price. You can book in advance for a discount but it only takes the price down to £8.50 per adult, so still quite pricey.

Then, on our return journey, we decided to stop off in Leeds for a bite to eat. My friend has highly recommended a Mexican called Las Iguanas, and as none of us had ever had Mexican before we decided to give it a try. The food was delicious, filling and their cocktails really packed a punch. And, as an added bonus, my Mum, Dad and I were all treated to a free cocktail because it was our birthdays! Winner!

After a wonderful weekend with my family I returned to work to be showered with tonnes of gifts from my friends. This included; a selection of miniature soap and glory products (perfect for my travel bag as I'm often travelling up and down the country), a beautiful set of summery ice cream pyjamas, a lovely set of stationary including cat shaped paper clips, mini notebooks and some adorable animal rubbers, a delicious bag of home made dark chocolate cookies, an old fashioned wooden pencil box, a book called 'how to train your unicorn' and a big pink helium birthday balloon! Even at 25 you can't beat a balloon! My bestist northern friend Emma also made me this amazing 3D paper sculpture of a rabbit's head on a plaque in brilliant neon paper. I couldn't wait to put it up on my bedroom wall!

Another great idea from one of my friends who had recently holidayed to Scotland, was to get me all Scottish themed gifts. She bought my a girlie tartan flower broach, highland blend tea bags and a gorgeous pair of silver thistle earrings.

But the best present of all was defiantly my Cath Kidston train print weekend bag! As I already mentioned, I do a lot of traveling and I am a bit of a geek when it comes to trains. Steam, diesel, old or new, I love them all. And one thing I love as much as trains is Cath Kidston. So you can imagine to look on my face when my bestist friend, Emma, got everyone to club together to buy this beautiful bag for me! I absolutely adore it and I can't wait to use it next weekend! In fact, it was a good job they bought it for me as I needed it to carry all of my presents home from work!

And that evening, just when I thought my birthday couldn't get any better, my boyfriend told me he was going to treat me to dinner at The Botanist in Leeds. So I put on my glad rags, headed off into the city and into the restaurant. To my surprise, my best friend and her boyfriend were there waiting for me! And as if that wasn't enough, she got the waiter to put sparklers in all of my drinks! She even got them to bring out a birthday cake she had bought for me, covered in sparklers and candles. I think the real surprise was that we didn't set the fire alarms off!

And in a few weeks time I get to enjoy my final present from my wonderful boyfriend, Pidge - a trip to Chester Zoo! I can't wait.

Today is my boyfriends 27th birthday. Honestly, over the last couple of years or so I have struggled to think of gifts for him. It has been difficult ever since we moved in together and have so little space to store anything. But this year I decided to do take a different approach...

He has already recieved a trip to see Star Trek at midnight at the IMAX (as previously blogged).

Then, the night before his birthday, I told him to suit up, I donned my highest pair of heels and we headed off into Leeds. Firstly, we went for fancy cocktails at The Alchemist bar. I thought this would be a nice place to start as the bar has a lovely view over the city.

Then we went off for dinner at Anthony's Piazza in the Corn Exchange. Every Monday they do a 'Guinea pig night'. This is where guests are treated to a full 3 course meal, but you don't know what you will be eating until it is out in front if you! Then, afterwards, you leave feedback on each course. This is a great chance for the chefs to experiment with new and exciting dishes, and a bargain price for the customers. This present is ideal if, like my partner and I, you are adventurous diners and love to share your food. However, if you are very particular then I wouldn't risk it (don't worry, they do ask you to state any allergies before they cook anything).

It usually costs £24.95 per person for 3 courses and coffee. These 'Guinea pig nights' also offer reasonably priced drinks for such a nice restaurant. These include bottles of wine for £10 and £5 cocktails. However, I was lucky enough to snap up a great deal from livingsocial. I managed to grab a 3 course meal for 2 and a cocktail each for a total of £30. A bargain birthday gift! You could also buy multiples of this offer if you fancied dining in a bigger group.

Then, on the day of his actual birthday, we decided to go into Leeds again and visit the new Everyman cinema in the Trinity shopping centre. Everyman cinema's are open in various locations across the country. Their aim is to offer a unique experience to customers with things such as; premium couches, waiter service and somewhere where customers are able to relax with a glass of wine or a coffee.

Then, afterwards, we went for a glutenous lunch to Red's True BBQ on call lane. In fact, I am still full 24 hours later!

And on a complete contrasting theme, as my boyfriend is going to Download Festival this year with a bunch of 'the lads', I though it would be a nice idea to make him a festival survival kit. This kit included a range of miniatures such as; a poncho, paracetamol, toothpaste, toohbrush, mouth wash, sun cream, face wipes, moisturiser, a pack of tissues, anti-bacterial hand gel and dry shampoo.

 Even though my boyfriend's birthday isn't until the end of the month, he was treated to a very special early birthday present this year. As he is a huge geek, I bought us both tickets to go see the new Star Trek movie at the IMAX cinema. I booked for us to see it at 12.05am on the day of it's release. That meant that we were amongst the very first people in the country to see it. And as a bonus, the IMAX also gave out a limited edition print of the Starship Enterprise for every person who attended the midnight screening. Now we just need a wall to hang it on.

I was hanging out at Salt's Mill in Saltaire this weekend, and whilst browsing around the home section I found a lovely gift for my nana's birthday. This is a lovely little napkin holder with a lovely little bird detail. Ideal as my nana loves the outdoors and she loves birds even more. It was only £3.95 for the napkin holder and £2.50 for the miniature napkins. That's a total of £6.45! As it was such a bargain I thought it would be nice to buy some matching wrapping paper to tie everything together. So I also bought this lovely bird sheet wrap, also from Salts's Mill, for £2.50. This brought my final total to £8.95. Marvellous.