As you unpack the Christmas decorations do you stop and smile at the well-worn, wonky papier mâché angel a child gave you many years ago? You remember him running out from national school, so proud of it he couldn’t wait to give it to you. To him and to you this angel is more valuable than any piece of art in a gallery.

That child may now be in his 40s, but the feeling you had when you got it is a lovely, warm memory that you get every Christmas.

The gift that keeps on giving means different things to different people. I think handmade gifts can keep on giving in more ways than one. You get the physical gift, but the fact that it was made especially for you also gives you a feeling that lasts.

My mother made crochet blankies for some of her grandchildren. The colourful blankets have adorned student flats and digs. They have been packed up and brought with them when they found their first job. My children brought them when they left to live in Canada and America.

Mom passed away a number of years ago, but her blankies live on. They are on couches all over the world, ready to give comfort on a cold evening. Her memory lives on every time one of her grandchildren wraps it around their shoulders or knees while watching TV.

Memories of their granny, who always had either a crochet hook or knitting needles in her hands, will last long after the blankies have been consigned to the spare room.

Some other gifts that I have received that have given me pleasure long after Christmas have been vouchers to attend a course. Twelve years ago my sons gave me a voucher for a four-day basket-weaving course. I had never tried to weave a basket, so the idea of spending four days trying to filled me with anticipation and trepidation in equal measure.

Mom passed away a number of years ago, but her blankies live on. They are on couches all over the world, ready to give comfort on a cold evening

Those four days were the start of something that has given me great joy. I learned the basics of weaving with willow on the course and even managed to go home with three, slightly wonky baskets. Over the last 10 years, I have gone back annually to weave and each year the baskets get slightly less wonky.

That gift was also the catalyst for me to start travelling solo. My first solo adventure was basket-weaving in Spain. I continue to attend a weaving workshop, either here or abroad. At each of them I meet people from all over the world. Some have become really good friends. The gift of the voucher opened up a whole new world for me. It gave me a new creative skill, an opportunity to travel and lifelong friends.

Based on how much I enjoyed that gift, my daughters gave me a voucher for a weekend learning how to quilt. I’m currently sewing my fourth quilt, one for everyone in the family.

There’s a whole host of gifts that can keep on giving long after the tree is gone to the recycling centre.

A good pocket knife would probably be used everyday on most farms. Secateurs for the gardener in your life will be constantly in use. A bird feeder is a great gift.

As I write this I’m distracted by the activity of the birds outside. My mother gave me a stand with three feeders six years ago. This morning there’s a stream of finches, tits and robins all eating their fill. That gift is giving to nature as well as to me.

Time is a great gift. Asking someone whom you suspect is lonely out to lunch or over to your house for dinner can make someone’s Christmas. Or perhaps you could print off a few photos and send them with a handwritten card to a relative who lives abroad.

But I think the ultimate gift that could keep on giving would be to carry an organ donor card. If you pick up a card and have a conversation with your family about your intentions, you could give the gift of life to someone.