It may be hard to summon up the Xmas spirit this year, but your spending power is still a lifeline for independent businesses. Make someone’s day and buy from their small shop or market stall!

Traditional crafts are struggling to stay alive, despite their key role in a resilient society. The few people who persevere have to price their goods at the luxury end of the market to compete with factories. They need your custom more than the supermarkets do, and give far more back. Choose your loyalties.

Half the total Xmas spend is on gifts – in Somerset for example, this amounts to about twice the County budget. Some of these will be specific large items, but a lot will be trinkets, small presents, Secret Santas. Write a list, then go out exploring. See what you can find at craft fairs, visit interesting little shops.

Stay organised – find a box to store your purchases. Don’t lose track and buy something twice in the last minute rush!

Soaps, socks and chocolates are good standbys. You can wash your hair with most hand made soaps (unlike factory produced ones); well made socks can be repaired by darning. You can buy chocolates that are like tiny works of art. It’s a gift; it’s the thought that counts, not the weight. Buy quality.

You can use scraps of pretty cloth and handmade cords as wrapping – all reusable!

Another third of the Xmas spend goes on food and drink. Another chance to sample quality produce; treat yourself! Farm shops often sell chutneys, jams and pickles. Christmas cakes keep for weeks and are often on sale at markets. Consider making your own mince pies.

The best way to buy your Xmas dinner is to order fresh locally reared organic meat from the independent butcher. If you’ve never done this before, consider there may be a bit of a queue on collection day. Bring an umbrella, a newspaper, be prepared to chat to people, live a little slower.

Spend your Xmas surrounded by food, drink and gifts which that have meaning, not just labels. Start planning now!