People tend to cut down on their spending during a recession, but there are certain areas which perform particularly well in a downturn. These can provide you with great inspiration for the types of Christmas gift ideas which will give your friends and family a little lift when things start to seem a bit gloomy.

Home cooking

During a recession, people are more reluctant to go out to restaurants because of the cost of eating out. This means that anything which can make home cooking a pleasure, like a special new chopping board, rolling pin, cake tin or fancy apron will be a greatly appreciated Christmas present. On top of this, a lovely cookery gift will encourage your friends to cook for you!

Gardening

Gardening is a very popular, recession-proof pastime. Growing your own food cuts down on grocery costs and is also good for the environment as it does away with food miles. A set of hard-wearing gardening gloves, some secateurs or packets of seeds will therefore make an excellent Christmas gift idea during a recession. Just check the intended recipient has a garden, allotment or reasonable-sized balcony or it could just come across as a cruel joke.

Many people become keen on sewing and mending during the recession and choose repair their current garments instead of buying new clothes. Those who take up sewing or knitting as a result of money troubles can find it a surprisingly satisfying pastime, ideally carried out in front of a roaring fire in winter time while catching up on the latest gossip with a group of friends! A good sewing-related Christmas gift idea is a ‘flower doll' – a doll brandishing all the sewing-related paraphernalia a handicraft enthusiast could wish for, including scissors, embroidery thread and ribbon.

Alcohol

Sales of alcohol go up during a recession – for obvious reasons. If you have any friends or family in the financial or housing sector, you might want to steer clear of this Christmas gift idea. However, for those with more minor troubles than potential redundancy, a drinking-related gift like a wine-chiller could be ideal help to brighten up gloomier days.

Gambling

Ok, so gambling is a terrible way to deal with the financial crisis, but incredibly the public spend on gambling rockets in times of hardship. Take inspiration from this for your Christmas gift ideas and give your friends some fun board games. A game like Monopoly can provide all the escapist fun of gambling with much less potential for guilt, debt or divorce. ‘Anti-Monopoly' is a fun new twist on the original, pitting small business entrepreneurs against big business monopolists to see who wins. Topical!

Chocolate

Chocolate sales go up during an economic crisis. It makes people feel better without costing too much. A good Christmas gift idea is to give your friends something chocolaty with a bit of a twist. A gourmet chocolate fondue maker for marshmallow-dipping will brighten up a cold January evening and provide a warm and comforting evening snack.