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

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, sales increase dramatically in almost all areas of retail Shops introduce hundreds of new products as people buy more and more gifts, decorations and supplies to take them through the Christmas period

When the long summer days come to a close, the daunting prospect of preparing kids for a new school year starts to play on the minds of most parents Fortunately, help is at hand – top experts and trendsetters have taken their pick of the best back to school goodies so that mums and dads can send the kids off with the coolest children’s toys and school accessories