Oh I wish it could be Christmas everyday!!

As a child growing up, I absolutely loved Christmas. The snow, Santa, the reindeer, the tree, the presents, the carols and songs... It was the best time of the year.

That was only a few years ago, but in that short space of time, Christmas has become much more of a strain. Buying presents, sending cards, wrapping gifts and at the same time trying to give off an air of merriment and joy makes for a hard time.

The icing on this miserable Christmas cake, was as I was descending from the bus on the way in to college, I slipped on ice, fell and whacked my knee off the pavement. This was not quite as sore as the sheer embarassment of falling in front of a busload of people. On the bright side, the heat from my blushing face warmed the freezing air a little.

I don't think of myself as a Scrooge, however, and I always try my best to buy presents for family and friends (even if it is just a box of chocolates out of poundland) or at least offer a card with a few Christmas-related words etched inside.

In actualiy, it takes me until about 10pm on Christmas Eve to fully get in the spirit of the festivities, as we sit as a family, eating crispy duck and pancakes, watching the Muppets Christmas Carol.

The Sneddon family has recently started a new tradition of giving "Little House on the Prarie" gifts, which take the form of home-made presents made by us. For example, in the brief history of this gift-swapping event, members of the family have been offered hand-made scarves and hats, stories and games. This rather quaint affair, has now turned into a stormy cloud of panic, as you reach the 24th, and realise that you forgot someone in the family, and have about 2 hours to create an artistic masterpiece.

Apart from the flaw of not having enough time, the idea itself is quite a nice one. As the saying goes "It's the thought that counts", and even if your dog-shaped hot water bottle cover has been already ripped in 2 by the wrapping paper alone, it is still better than that afore-mentioned poundland chocolate.

The Microscope/Telescope Combo

We talk all of the time about the over-commercialism of the festive period, and I agree that people shouldn't give a present just for the sake of giving it. I would much rather that you donated a few pounds to charity, than to buy me a telescope/microscope combo utensil, which I received from the same person two years running.

There is now almost a requirement to buy all of your friends a gift, even if you know they won't like it or use it, just so that there is something to hand them in return for the equally useless gift they just handed you.

I am not saying I don't enjoy recieving presents, or giving them for that matter, but I believe that buying for the sake of buying is not the right thing to be doing. A home-made card is much better to recieve than a mass-produced mildly entertaining gift.

In recent years, we have been given the opportunity to let our friends decide what they want, through the art of giftcards and vouchers. An iTunes voucher opens up the entire world of music and apps, whilst a Book token allows the recipient to choose their own novel. There are even now giftcards for anything from Asda's to World of Warcraft, so there is a guarantee that there will be a giftcard that suits you perfectly.

Christmas has become more about the presents, than spending time with your loved ones, sharing happiness, and pulling the crackers together as you delve into your Christmas dinner.

This Christmas we are having an elderly friend round to join us for lunch, as she lives by herself, and normally has to spend the day sitting lonely in her house. I know that her being there, will be the best present that both she, and us, will get this year.