Most people have all they need so how do we keep the spirit of Christmas - the simple pleasures of giving and receiving and enjoying the company of friends and family? How can we still have a joyful, abundant, eco-friendly and stress free Christmas, without spending loads of money or, worse still, getting into debt?

Rule number one – plan early. Contact family and friends to agree on a Christmas strategy. Plan the food – get everybody to contribute something, food, drink, time, expertise. Decide on a present protocol. Here are some ideas for an alternative Christmas.

1. Secret Santa:  Each of the group buys one present for an agreed amount - the lower the amount, the more imaginative you have to be. Presents should be suitable or interesting to any of the other participants - they are then exchanged anonymously. The more creative you are in the present choosing then the more fun can be had at the present opening.

You can swap presents around if you don’t like yours.

Decide ahead of time who is buying for who, but still limit the amount spent.

Have a separate children’s Secret Santa

2. Gift ideas: Gifts of practical help such as babysitting, driving, gardening, massage etc can be welcome. Home-made presents are greatly appreciated - chutney, sweets, biscuits, sloe gin is popular (see recipe). If you have skills such as knitting or sewing, what about a fabric or knitted shopping bag – you can use up odd bits of material and wool to make and bits of ribbon, buttons etc. to decorate the bag. Your present will be trendy, eco-friendly and useful all at the same time. Woolly scarves and hats may be what your granny used to give you but they can be stylish too. To be very cheeky look around at craft shops and get ideas.

3. Christmas cards If you are going to send cards - make your own. You can have endless fun and involve the children painting, cutting and sticking. Almost anything can be used to print with, cotton reels, corks, bits of sponge cut into shapes. Great effects can be achieved by printing with potatoes. Cut a medium size potato in half and cut a shape into the flat surface - make sure the surface for printing is flat. Use poster paints poured into a shallow saucer, dip the potato shape in and print onto coloured or white card.

Use different shapes and colours to make a pattern. Cut out pictures or images from old cards, use glitter, pieces of fabric, bows, mix all together and stick  – the possibilities are as big as your imagination.

5. Christmas decorations - Cut cardboard into Christmas shapes, paint, thread onto string. Make snowflakes – cut a white paper circle - fold into half, quarter and then eighth. Cut delicate shapes through all layers. Open up. Make a hole on one edge and thread with gold or silver string. Collect and paint fir cones or leave them natural.

Edible decorations - Make a popcorn garland  - when popcorn cools, use a needle and thread or dental wax to string the popcorn together. You can alternate it with different coloured sweets, to add colour to your garland. Wrap nuts, sweets or chocolates in coloured paper or fabric, tie together and hang on the tree.

Play silly games, dress up, tell stories, sing. Enjoy.

Afterwards recycle as much as possible, bottles, wrapping paper, plastic. Unfortunately Hastings Council does not have a kerbside collection for Christmas trees yet, so take your Christmas tree to the recycling centre – or better still join with others and take a few together.