Craft store sales soar as Brits opt for homemade Christmas
It's traditionally the most expensive time of year but it seems Brits up and down the country are shunning shop-bought goods in favour of a homemade Christmas.
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More and more cash-strapped consumers are opting to spend their hard-earned cash on homemade gifts, decorations and cards, and craft shops have seen sales soar as a result.
Craft supply store Hobbycraft has reported a 200 per cent increase in customers buying items to make their own decorations, and a 150 per cent rise in sales of homemade Christmas card materials.
Cards and decorations aren't the only things British consumers are making at home either - Hobbycraft's sales of Make Your Own Stocking kits are also up on last year, with an estimated 50,000 expected to fly off the shelves in 2012.
The store believes it's not just the idea of opting out of the highly commercialised Christmas shop that lures customers in at this time of year, but that parents are increasingly encouraging their children to create seasonal items that are made with love and will be kept for years to come.
Katherine Paterson, from Hobbycraft, told the Daily Mail: "Every year we see more and more children coming in for materials to make a Christmas card or gift for a parent, grandparent or teacher, where the time, effort and love they put in to making something is always appreciated.
"And we know from speaking to our customers that they often become keepsakes that are treasured for a lifetime."
What do you think? Do homemade gifts and cards better embody the spirit of Christmas?Leave your comments below...
