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.