It seems that in the time it took me to fly back from Prague Christmas has exploded in the UK. Suddenly you can’t move for decorations, there’s a different town switching on their lights every evening and of course, the TV adverts have all launched (what’s your favourite one this year by the way?). The holiday season is officially here and with that comes the need for Christmas shopping.

I always find Christmas shopping such a strange activity, I love getting gifts for other people and the exciemtnet of when you have that perfect idea, but I also have a lot of people in my life who are insanley difficult to buy for. That coupled with the crowds, special offers wherever you look and of course the financial burden of Christmas means that it can quickly turn from one of the most exciting and joyous times to one of the most stressful. Once you’ve finally settled on a present idea for someone you then have the second-guessing of will they like it? Will they use it? Or will it simply end up in a charity bag come January making it an awkward situation (and waste of money) for everyone involved. To try and overcome this I have taken a slightly different approach to Christmas shopping this year, for both myself and the people around me.

Do you remember as a child one of the most exciting things about Christmas coming would be writing your list? I’d always be there with the Argos catalouge and a highlighter circling everything that I desperatly wanted (and even the things I wasn’t sure about, but I figured i should give Father Christmas the choice in what he sent down from the North Pole….). As I got a bit older this stopped, the Argos catalouge was no longer the one-stop wonder place it had been and I went through those teenage years that are notoriously tricky to buy for. In fairness my family always did pretty well, but as I got older and hit adulthood I quickly became one of those people that’s impossbile to buy for. Why? Well simply put I’m fussy and impatient. I know exactly what I want and if I want it then I will buy it, and I don’t expect anyone else to be spending their hard earned cash on me. However, I am fortunate in that although I do not expect this I do have people around me who want to treat me so in the recent years I have started to lean back towards lists and boy does it make everyone’s life easier.

The beauty of Christmas lists is that you don’t have to worry that you’re getting someone something they don’t actually want, they’ve specifically asked for it. And if you’re worried someone else will duplicate what you’ve got them then throw in the gift receipt and you wont have an issue.

So how do I structure my Christmas list as an adult? I start with thinking of between 5 and 10 things that I would like. My family and I aren’t particularly extravagant gift givers and so I never put anything more than about £50 on the list and I like to include a variety of price points, from a few pounds upwards. I find this means that the list is accessible to anyone who asks for it and there isn’t that awkward moment of someone not having the budget for any of the things I have included. I also really consider what is on there, if I wouldn’t pay for it myself then I wouldn’t ask someone else to get it for me. Persoanally it just doesn’t sit right with me otherwise. I also don’t include anything that I won’t genuinely use. When it comes to the lower price point items I go for products that I use a lot like the Sally Hansen Insta-Dry (best top coat EVER) or my favourite silver shampoo. Yes these items may seem a little boring but they’re useful, they wont be wasted and I feel much more comfortable with people spending their money on them. When it comes to distributing the list I split it up so that no one has an identical copy of the list, or if a friend asks then I tell them one thing if I already know their budget. This helps to limit getting the same couple of items again and again.

In addition to writing and sending out my own list this year I have also been asking others for their lists. I asked a few weeks ago so they had time to think and asked what they would actually like. This way you know that you’re getting them something they really want or need and there’s no guessing. Of course, with close friends and family surprises are often easier so I often say to friends that they can have exactly what they want or a surprise if they don’t have any ideas.

If you’ve got people to buy for who don’t have a list but are a little tricker to buy for then I have popped below some of my favourite gift ideas for this year that are a littler different but are very useful.

• Subscriptions: We all have subscriptions for everything nowdays so why not pay for one for a friend? Maybe it’s their Spotify or Netflix or you could do something different and get them a subscriptopn to an app. I adore the Calm app and use it most days, the free version is great but the paid version is so much better. At £40/per year it doesn’t break the bank and is something they will get so much use out of. Bloom & Wild also offer a subscription service so you can buy flowers for someone for 3, 6 or 12 months that will be delivered straight to their door. A gift that really does keep giving!

• Something boring: I know, why would you get a purposely boring gift? Well it’s practicle and if someone doesn’t quite know what they want then something like this will free up some cash for them later in the year to treat themselves. Think thermals, electric toothbrush heads, portable chargers….the list is endless.

• Upgrade something boring: If you don’t want to get something super boring but still want it to be practical then why not upgrade a standard basic. Think of a more luxurious shower gel, a pair of cashmere socks, a beautiful notepad or nice biscuits. (I always loved presents like this when I was a student too!)

• Give your time: We’re all so busy and getting together before Christmas can be so difficult, stressful and expensive so why not remove some of the stress and do something lovely in the new year. Spending time with people you love can be such a great gift (cheesy, i know, but true) so book out a weekend and go for a nice meal, or have a weekend break or just make a day of something. It doesn’t have to cost the earth and gives you something great to look forward to next year.

This year I want to make Christmas much less stressful, both emotionally and financailly and so far list making has really helped me to achieve this. No one really wants piles of tat that they will never use, gifted on the premise that you “should” get someone something so why not be honest? Yes the surprise is a little ruined but the stress is also removed and quite frankly I think that is more important. Alternativly have the honest conversation with people and make the decision not to do gifts this year, or to just to secret santa to make the whole process more afforadable. Despite what the adverts will try to make us think, Christmas isn’t actually all about giving lavish present. Spending time with people is so much more important so this year make it a little easier on yourself and take a leaf out of 7 year-old-Charlotte’s book. After all, that’s what it’s all about.