With all the hype, the glitz and the sheer commercial enormity surrounding Christmas today, it's easy to loose sight of its origins: what it all means and why it's still important to so many people in this fast-paced digital age that we live in. Buried beneath a deluge of Santas and snowm... read

Games are practically synonymous with Christmas. After a sumptuous lunch it's almost obligatory for the family to roll into the living room in front of a roaring fire and crack out one of the new board games – or one of the old classics. Games bring people together, and introduce a frie... read

Are you tired of trotting out the same old gifts year after year? Is exploring countless variations on the same old theme turning Christmas into a stale parody of what it used to be? If the answer is yes, then perhaps it's time to spice things up a bit, by choosing an original, unconventional... read

For most of us, while Christmas is a time of great joy, all that giving comes at a price, and for many it's the most financially draining time of the year. Every year we blow small and, let's face it, sometimes not-so-small fortuned on all the gifts, food, decorations and countless other ... read

Digital media players – or MP3 players as they're often called – are going to be top of many people's gift lists again this Christmas, and there's more choice than ever.

Originally these players were all about playing music, but the latest incarnation of device... read

Digital cameras are flying off the shelves again and will be finding their way into more than a few Christmas Stockings this year. They're slimline, they're sleek and they're getting smaller and more capable every year. The latest compact digital cameras are crammed with features to h... read

I don't know about you, but the thought of hitting the shops this Christmas brings me out in a rash. For me shopping is a horrific experience at the best of times, but at as the shopping days to Christmas dwindle it becomes positively tortuous.

Stress levels on the street are pal... read

When it comes to buying gifts for boys, they really are just scaled down versions of their dads. Anything that's remotely “gadgety” is sure to be a hit – likewise anything that takes batteries, or that involves some element of remote control (or, more likely, remote out-of-c... read

I know a thing or two about buying gifts for girls. I know, for example, that I'm not very good at it.

It should be easy, of course, but what I buy inevitable turns out to be wrong: the wrong colour, the wrong size, the wrong shape, the wrong brand, the wrong model... you get the ... read

Well gentlemen, it's time to rack the brains again. You need to come up with a thoughtful, inspired and above all original gift ideas for the lady in your life. Either that, or face the music come Christmas morning when she unwraps yet another vial of the same old perfume, the predictable box... read