Recently, I was talking to a friend who had just organised the annual fundraiser for the museum she curates (Cipriani restaurant-style food, black tie, very swish), and though she said her table numbers were OK vis-a-vis last year, she also noted that the gift bags had changed. “Last year they were unique, made just for us,” she said. “This year, we were given a generic one.”

She shrugged: “That’s where we are now.” As my children say: You get what you get – and you don’t get upset.

Weirdly, that is not so far off the message that Washington has been sending to the big banks, though maybe that will change when the gathering of the G20 that kicked off on Friday is concluded. Maybe not. Either way, it probably won’t happen in time to change the mantra for the looming holiday season. It’s six weeks until Christmas and we’re all sitting frozen in front of our TVs trying to figure out what the hell to buy people so they don’t get upset.

Do we go out and purchase gifts as never before, in a kind of last hurrah? Do we stay home and bake 15 batches of chocolate-chip cookies and present them in recycled cereal boxes charmingly decorated by our children (or us pretending to be our children) with paint and silver stars? Do we sign up for those “in your name” charity donation cards? Or make some sort of family-wide agreement to buy gifts only for the youngest members this year?

I don’t know, but I can tell you this: instead of stewing about it, I have another idea. It’s like fantasy football, but for presents, and instead of putting together a team, you put together a fantasy gift bonanza.

The net effect is a similar guilt-free catharsis – you experiment with various options in the privacy of your own home/dreams, and only at the end do the decisions count.

I got the idea (full disclosure) from a conversation I had with designer Anya Hindmarch, who was enlisted by Selfridges this season to remake its gift hampers. Anya is a kind of gift-giving obsessive: she has six immediate family members, a growing global staff force, friends, and godchildren to buy for, and her budgets are duly constrained.

So from her point of view, one exciting aspect to the Selfridges job was getting free rein to indulge her gifting imagination with no actual outlay. And not only that, but fix what she sees as a great weakness of the holiday season.

Actually, what she said was that she had always loved a hamper, because of its possibilities after the contents were all used up (from a toy storage box to a place for random socks to rest while you hope to find their mate), but that it was often hard to use up its contents, because they always seemed like the back end of someone’s pantry. This was an opportunity to fix that.

Certainly, the hampers that Hindmarch dreamed up are not exactly the hampers of traditions past. One, called “Mother’s Ruin”, involves a bottle of Hendricks Gin, yellow rubber gloves for washing up and biscuits that read “hic”. The children’s version, called “Kids’ Heaven”, has a camera, coloured pencils, chocolate Monopoly, and a DVD of The Wizard of Oz , among other treats. The “Ultimate Girls” has 40 nail polish shades, a pair of Tweezerman tweezers, Eve Lom cleanser and mallow fluff. It has 19 other items, but you get the idea.

All of the above hampers are trounced, however, by the “You Mean the World to Me”, which is made to order, costs £50,000, and is filled with the 23 things from the girls hamper, plus gift vouchers for £10,000 to spend after-hours at Selfridges; a body transformation personal training programme; a dinner for six cooked at your house by a famous chef; a bespoke fragrance, a bouquet a month, etc.

Beyond expensive, yes, but also, in present terms, just beyond. It is possible that it will never get bought, but the dream for someday is there.

“We know it’s over the top,” said Hindmarch, “but sometimes someone has just had a terrible year, and they need that. I just picked all the things I’d ever wanted.”

When she talked, she sounded peaceful, as though she had worked through all her contradictory desires and restraints and come out the other side; yogic, but maybe without psyching into complex contortions.

Indeed, she seemed so serene that it was hard to escape the conclusion that imaginary hamper-making is an effective pre-holiday, get-the-urges-out-of-the-system tactic.

So, to help you on your way to similar enlightenment, we present the first of our six Saturdays of Christmas with made-to-order and personalised items you need to plan for. By the time the last suggestions appear on December 20, there will be more than 50 different products to choose from. All you need to do is pick the recipient.

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In the first of our six week series on ideas for Christmas presents, Lucie Muir suggests a selection of bespoke and personalised gifts

Prada

Choose from six different leathers including plain (£150) and python (£230) and your preferred buckle and leave in the capable hands of the Prada craftsmen. www.prada.com

Judith Leiber

Knowing just how proud some parents can be, Judith Leiber will emboss your child’s latest work of art onto your handbag. From $5000 to $25000 depending on the complexity of the artwork. www.judithleiber.com

Dunhill

Recipients will receive a boxed shirt cuff containing a £220 gift certificate inviting them to meet the tailor for a fitting. www.dunhill.com

Theo Fennel BOMBÉ ring

Choose your own stone combinations for this 18ct gold ring adorned with platinum beading. From £1,800. www.theofennel.com

Marie-Helene de Taillac

It takes two months for this Parisian jeweler to work her magic on these ornate charm bracelets but her gift cards are redeemable on all orders now. Price according to the number of charms, £4,590. www.mariehelenedetaillac.com

Goldstriker

This British-based company will plate your iPod or mobile phone with precious metals or a sprinkling of Swarovski crystals. Prices available on request. www.goldstriker.co.uk

Ormonde Jayne

Founder Linda Pilkington’s bespoke perfume and bath oils are corked in antique crystal bottles, ready for engraving. From £3,500. www.ormondejayne.com

Asprey

Personalise this Bond Attaché leather briefcase with a monogram or allow up to six weeks to customise interior pockets and compartments. From £2,500. www.asprey.com

Philippa Holland

The young British jeweller has a penchant for creepy crawlies. Her silver beetle cufflinks (£400) can be engraved for an additional cost. www.philippaholland.co.uk

Alphabet bags

Beat any further costs at the supermarket checkout with this credit-crunching canvas shopper, just £10. www.alphabetbags.com

William & Sons bespoke Monopoly set

Escape the property market slump by creating your own street names and board pieces made from precious metals. From £30,000. www.williamandson.com

Millichamp & Hall bespoke cricket bat experience

Watch as master bat makers craft your very own bat from a selection of English willow woods at the Somerset workshop. £275. www.millichampandhall.co.uk

Rupert Sanderson bespoke shoes

Swatches of matte or patent finish crocodile or ostrich skin in an array of colors can be posted anywhere in the world and shoes then made to order. £3,500. www.rupertsanderson.co.uk

Daniel Hanson

Pockets and cuffs on Hanson’s cashmere robes (£1,599) are the perfect spot for embroidered initials. Standard three letters from £20. Exclusive to Harrods. www.harrods.com