The mother of three runs a business selling second hand clothes, and with the cost of living soaring, coupled with the desire to be sustainable, her family too will be getting upcycled gifts.

"We will be regifting, my son is going to get my daughter's balance bike, she no longer needs it and she's moved up to a bigger bike. She hasn't had it for about eight months, so my son is going to have it for Christmas," Mrs Blaken, who runs Second Snuggle, said.

"And the kids don't mind that they are second hand, that they're pre-loved," Mrs Blaken added. "My daughter had pre-loved dolls for her birthday, and she was as excited as if they were new."

The 32-year-old is not alone in turning to thrifting this festive season.

According to a survey by Deloitte, one in 10 of us plan to give second hand gifts this winter because of the pressure the rising prices are exerting on household budgets.

But reusing items does not just help save money, it can also help the environment by reducing carbon emissions and saving water and energy.

Research by the Waste and Resources Action Programme in partnership with eBay found that if everyone shopped for only pre-loved or refurbished items it could save 300,000 tonnes from landfill per year, and reduce carbon emissions by at least 1.5 million tonnes, an equivalent of taking 323,000 cars off the road for one year.

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'It's good for the environment and good for the economy'

"It provides an opportunity for retailers to generate the circular economy, so when customers are cutting back on purchasing new items it's good for the environment and good for the economy for them to be able to upcycle and recycle existing goods," said Kris Hamer, director of insight at the British Retail Consortium.

And it is younger people in particular who are driving the trend, according to a survey commissioned by eBay.

It found that those aged 18 to 34 are most likely to shop pre-loved, with over three quarters doing so (76%) compared to just a third (35%) of those aged over 55.

The benefits of second hand gift-giving

"There are many benefits of second hand gift-giving, and the first is the obvious one that it's great for the planet, you're preventing items from going into a landfill and giving those items a second life," said Emma Grant, head of pre-loved at eBay.

"Secondly it's also great for your wallet, as you'll know at the moment we're trying to get those pounds to stretch further, and it's great to be able to buy pre-loved and allow you to be able to do to that.

"And thirdly you can really find some unique, interesting gifts when you buy pre-loved, and often those items generally come with a bit more thought."

Charities move operations online

And those gifts are no longer confined to second hand shops on the high street, as charities move their operations online.

Oxfam now runs an online shop where customers can browse thousands of items donated from across the country, and for some, the charity says, bargain-hunting for something that is no longer widely available is part of the thrill.

"Second hand doesn't have to be second best," said Andy Ostcliffe, head of e-commerce and retail innovation at Oxfam.

"Therefore in terms of whether it's a nostalgic purchase, maybe a vintage toy or it's a pair of jeans or something that you're wearing to go out in, we're very much seeing the trend now of some of the items that we have for sale now you just can't buy new," he added.

And with consumers more aware of the impact of fast fashion, the pre-loved trend seems to be here to stay.