Around this time last month, Christmas was around the corner and that meant the hunt for presents was opened. Over the last two years my female side that “does not mind shopping” has made some progress. If I am in the right set of mind, I could probably stand it for a couple of hours. However, not enough to really enjoy it let along see it as “an activity”. I remember some of my friends “celebrating” the end of the exams by going shopping. To each his own, but I much more preferred treating myself by reading a good book non-stop for days in a row.

I gave up the hope that I will ever feel the way about shopping as most women do. Which, to be fair, is not something I feel bad about actually. But, each year around Christmas this does cause some inconvenience. Shopping stresses me out and to be honest, the thought of doing it whilst the whole world seems to have decided to do it too (at the exact same time as me), makes it so much worse! I tried everything, from buying Christmas presents in the summer to buying them spread out over the year and shopping online, but nothing really gave me any joy.

It had gotten to the point where the essence of giving someone a present and the core of Christmas had gone lost, completely. It wasn’t necessarily a lack of creative ideas to show my friends and family the love and warmth they deserve. It was mostly a combination of me having a stubborn present idea for someone, hating to stroll around town to find it, often trying to find an alternative as it looked like my ideas weren’t always realistic and then having to surrender with a gift that did not give me any satisfaction, nor resembled what that person meant to me or reflected what I wanted that person to feel or know (loved!). So yes, long story short, terrible combination!

This year, I decided to do something entirely different. Most of the adults in my life either have everything they want (material wise), do not necessarily share with me what they would like or occasionally need something that (let’s be honest) a PhD student’s budget can hardly afford. So, what better way to show them that I think of them every day, that I love them and care about them by making their presents?

Although time can be and often is scarce, I wanted to devote it to some new projects. In return they gave me an escape from my PhD and kept me sane whilst writing on my thesis chapters. I selected some of the projects to share here on the blog.

1. Lotion bar

Before I set foot into Lush, I did not know of the existence of lotion bars, let along how to make them. As it turned out, once I got one, I completely fell in love with it. The bar cost us £6.50 and soon I realised it was wonderful as body lotion after a warm shower or bath. What’s more is that a basic lotion bar only requires three ingredients (Beeswax, Coconut Oil and Essential oil). I must admit that for the Christmas presents I did use some extra ingredients:

– 1 part Coconut Oil– 1 part Beeswax
– 1/2 part Almond Oil
– 6 drops Lavender Essential oil
– 5 drops Rosemary Essential oil
– Vitamine E oil

I melted the Coconut Oil and Beeswax in a glass jar that was hanging above boiling water (double boiler). Once everything was melted, I added the Almond Oil and Vitamine E (just the liquid from inside the Vitamine capsule). Both, Almond Oil and Vitamine E are not necessary. However, if you do intend to use it as a gift, Vitamine E increases the preservation time. I then took the glass jar from the hob, added the Essential oils and poured the solution into silicone baking moulds. The liquid starts to set pretty soon, but I left it for a couple of hours, just to be sure.

2. Beard Oil

Unfortunately (but probably a good sign) I cannot share my personal experience with the bread oil. Men are, in my case, often the most difficult sex to buy or find a present for. Luckily, except from my little nephews, they all have one thing in common: a beard of some sort. Whether they have full grown hipster models (that need more care and conditioning than most girls’ haircut), rough stubble beards that can get itchy or daily shaved faces finished off with something different than harsh aftershave, beard oil serves them all! Depending on the season or personal choice, the Essential oils can be changed with other fragrances. I used the following:

– Carrier oil: Almond Oil
– Natural preservative: Vitamine E
– Essential Oils: Bergamot, Green Tea and Rosemary

I purchased little dropper bottles for the beard oil. I first added a combination of the Essential Oils above and then filled the rest of the bottle with carrier oil. I used a plastic pipette to get the mixture in the bottle and once it was closed, I gently shook the bottle.

3. Vanilla cinnamon coffee syrup

Although I personally prefer pure black coffee, I do have some friends and family that like a more sweet touch. Besides traditional sugar cubes, coffee syrups have become an easy way to sweeten and flavour hot drinks. A range of brands and different flavours are used in coffee, hot chocolate, etc. I decided to try and make some myself. One of my favourite spices is cinnamon. As a result, I usually have plenty in my cupboard and so started my experiment. The final list included:

– 1 cup sugar (or more if you want a longer life of the syrup)
– 1 cup water
– 3 cinnamon sticks (or 1/4 tsp if you use ground cinnamon powder)
– 1/2 tsp vanilla

I started with heating the sugar and water (together in one bowl) at medium heat. This needs constant stirring! Once the sugar had dissolved, I simply added the cinnamon and vanilla, and stirred again until a smooth liquid appeared. I poured this into little bottles, let it cool down and labelled them.