Christmas is a time for family, for memorable moments, for gift-giving, for glowing hearths and squashy sofas, for re-runs of The Neverending Story and Home Alone I, II and III. And it’s also a time for charity, religious celebration and for Michael Bublé to serenade us with jazzed-up versions of Christmas tunes that are so catchy we don’t realise we’re humming them on the bus, until there’s an empty seat either side of us.

With Christmas just over a week away and the pending loom of January poverty coming, we spoke to some of our favourite bloggers to get some festive money saving tips for you, to try and help ease the purse strings this Christmas!

Everyone gets nervous about choosing gifts at Christmastime, and then there’s the added fear that someone else might have picked the same thing for that loved one. Cue the feigned enthusiasm at not one, but TWO sets of hair straighteners, identical novels, playstation games or albums. We’ve all been there! That’s why we’ve compiled a handy Christmas Gift Guide of experiences we know are so interesting and unique, no one else will have thought of them!

For many, one of the integral elements of Christmas is the Christmas cake; however, its safe to say that not only does baking a Christmas cake take a lot of time and effort but a traditional Christmas cake is not always a hit with everyone! Last year, during our Christmas taste test, the Christmas cake was the least favourite of the Christmas treats we tried. To make sure you’ve all got a popular Christmas dessert this year, we spoke to Seasoned Cookery School about a delicious alternative Christmas cake and their clementine cake sounds like the perfect treat!

When it comes to Christmas gift giving, it’s the thought that counts. Although we wholeheartedly agree, unwrapping a disappointing gift isn’t great  – especially when you have to put on an Oscar-winning performance to avoid upsetting the person who gave it to you. If this is a situation you’d rather avoid this year, these ‘subtle’ ways to gift hint about the Christmas present you want will come in handy…