Regardless of what culinary alchemy you manage to pull off, the
hard truth remains that many baked gifts (gingerbread, mince pies,
cinnamon rolls being three) have very limited shelf-lives. Cue:
biscotti. A well-baked batch of these traditional Italian biscuits
will last for up to a month in a sealed container – it’s the
perfect make-ahead gift. The added bonus is that they’re easy to
make in bulk and require very little skill. Now, fasten your apron
and get cracking.

Christmas wreaths, while beautiful gifts, are subject to the
same fate as the aforementioned gingerbread; they might spark joy
for a week or so, but their charms are short-lived. Shida Preserved
Flowers has the perfect solution. Order one of its dried wreath-making kits and create a festive
decoration that will last for months. Most of Shida’s dried foliage
lasts for up to one year, so your gift might even be in good enough
shape to greet Father Christmas when he swings by in December 2021
(lockdown restrictions depending).

What better gift for the bookworm in your life, than a
hand-woven placeholder? If you’re new to weaving, we suggest
getting your hands on one of these eco-friendly and achingly chic starter kits from Shiv Textiles.
All of the yarns are luxury offcuts sourced from British mills that
would otherwise have been sent to landfill. We’re weaving a
bookmark, but you could just as easily make a coaster or a
wall-hanging if you have the time and inclination. This particular
kit comes with a pamphlet teeming with tips for the
uninitiated.

Make something that your loved one will treasure by signing up
to an at-home clay masterclass with Hackney’s most
stylish pottery studio, Kana London. Order one of its starter packs
– you’ll receive a cluster of modelling tools and a generous wodge
of clay in the post – and sign up to one of its lessons to receive
a Zoom link by email. During the class you’ll have the opportunity
to make a number of Kana classics, including a breakfast bowl and a
clay spoon, with the option of firing your finished piece in the
kiln at a later date.

This year, scented candles have transcended the realm of
frivolous homewares and established themselves as essential
companions for stressed-out remote workers. Rather than simply
buying one ready-made, why not pour your own? If you’re a
candle-making newbie, tune in to one of Earl of East’s at-home
candle-making workshops, in which you’ll make
one of its signature scented travel candles. Each of their scent
profiles are inspired by travels past. Of course, you can always
get one they made earlier if you’re short on
time.

Knitted Christmas presents? A bit on the nose. This year, we’re
making ours from macramé. Specifically, we’re putting together this
glorious shopper from Wool & The Gang. The kit comes with a spool of
mustard-coloured raffia, a crochet hook, a sewing needle and
pattern. This nifty tote bag is almost as effortless to make as it
looks – a far cry from the gaudy knitted jumpers and
sketchy-looking scarfs most people expect from amateur knitting
projects.

There’s something so comforting about the wishy-washy
meanderings of marbled paper. It transports us to creaky,
beam-scored libraries or those artisanal stationery shops staggered
along the canals in Venice. For a personalised gift, we suggest
marbling A5 sheets of card and then block-printing the resultant
notelets with the initials of your recipient. Marmor Paperie has a fairly comprehensive
starter kit.