The season of Christmas presents

The thing about any hand-made item is that it's slow, and often painstaking, to create. That is one of the joys of them, of course, and why they're expensive to buy, and risky to make for other people, who might fail to appreciate the time and effort that went into them. 

In this season of shopping (what do you mean, Christmas has a religious meaning?), I can't help thinking I would prefer to make things for people than buy things. Why buy an anonymous chain-store piece of mass-production when you can make something personal and unique? I'm sure that the people who I would make for would appreciate the time and effort, but there's still the possibility that the recipient mightn't like the gift. A shop-bought scarf in the wrong colour can go on ebay or to the charity shop with hardly a pang of conscience. A hand-knitted £7-a-ball silk-mohair creation, well it's probably got little charity shop value, certainly won't sell on ebay and if I ever found out it was unwanted I would be gutted. 

I've got one or two ideas on Christmas presents, but I'm still undecided on whether to go ahead or not. Hopefully if people don't like them they'll learn to be good actors, quickly.