10 Christmas hacks to reduce stress and have the best holiday season ever

Buy a bunch of small presents – boxes of chocolates or biscuits, interesting tea, cordial, cheese crackers; or silly things like fun socks, quirky mugs, or stationery – and wrap them up, just in case you are invited last-minute to an unexpected gathering, more people come to visit than planned, or you’re at a Secret Santa party and SOMEONE forgets to buy their gift.

These gifts are timeless, and have long shelf lives, so if you don’t end up giving them away, you can use them as emergency birthday gifts instead. And if you do use them, you basically get to be Santa.

Karly Cox

How to pay it forward this Christmas

The ultimate Christmas Party/Secret Santa present: buy a mason jar and fill it with drinking chocolate powder, add a few marshmallows, chocolate sprinkles, shavings and a chocolate bar of choice. Decorate the jar with a festive ribbon and you have the mix for the best mug of hot chocolate anyone will ever taste! 

Rhea Mogul

If you don’t have the space in your home for a real Christmas tree, put sprigs of pine in old jam jars and dot them around instead. They’ll inject some greenery into your home, and fill it with a lovely wintery smell. You can use the sprigs to decorate parcels, too! 

Charlotte Ames-Ettridge

Hot chocolate is already the quintessential Christmassy beverage, but for an extra festive touch, I like to add a candy cane. It’s great for stirring, and adds a nice peppermint flavour to my drink.

Nicole Moraleda

Don’t have enough space for a Christmas tree, or looking for a DIY gift for your friends that doesn’t require too much expertise? Grab some old copies of Young Post and roll them into a cone shape, then tape it in place. It should be able to stand alone.

Then use tape to stick some individually-packaged tea bags all over it (two different colours works best). There you have your own easy Christmas tree; tea-drinkers will love it!

Kelly Fung

5 Christmas gift ideas that are completely free

Don’t have enough fairy lights or ornaments for your Christmas tree? Not to worry; just place your Christmas tree in a corner of your flat so that the back and sides are against the walls. That way, you only need to decorate the front.

Alejo Rodriguez Lo

Make gift tags out of old Christmas cards. Just cut out the shape you want, punch a hole at the top and thread a piece of string through.

Doris Wai

Christmas cakes made easy: 6 hacks to sweeten up your holiday season

I don’t really decorate because my cats are so destructive ... so I decorate my cats (a tinsel scarf looks so festive!) Alternatively, while I’m not great at decorating or celebrating Christmas, I do like to light a cinnamon or gingerbread scented candle so at least my flat can SMELL festive. 

Heidi Yeung

Melt a bar of chocolate (white works really well for Christmas) and pour it onto a sheet of greaseproof paper. Then smash up some candy canes, chopped nuts, and M&Ms, and sprinkle them over the chocolate. Leave the whole thing to set and then break it into pieces of bark. 

Alternatively, toast some hazelnuts and dip them in melted chocolate – you have your very own “reindeer poop”. When it comes to drinks,  add a pinch of chilli powder to your hot chocolate for extra warmth. 

Finally, if you are going to a big family gathering, tuck a shopping bag into your backpack, purse or pocket, just in case you get loads of prezzies.

Susan Ramsay