Of course it’s the time of year, where we think of others and how much they are going to cost us. We are on course to spend less this Christmas due to costs of just living for a start.

And that’s bad for the economy so that’s why the interest rates were lowered recently meaning that we save about £15 a month if we have a mortgage. Which doesn’t come close to the extra money being paid out by everyone at the moment, but that won’t stop some people thinking; hey we’ve got more money, let’s go and spend!

But the question I have to ask is:

What do you buy?

If you’ve reached the best part of your life, where you moved away from home, got used to doing nothing by yourself and just enjoying your own company, what do you buy for people for Christmas gifts?

I find myself in this bind right now, trying to think of what people would like for Christmas, and besides my friends around me in the shire, I am stumped. If you are around people often, you tend to know what they like and therefore the process is a wee bit easier. I said wee, because it could still turn out that they were lying to you all this time, and they are not a big fan of tiddlywinks as they led you to believe.

For the family it’s even worse. Come on, who actually pays attention to their siblings as to what they like and don’t, or even have the full on same interests as Mummy and Daddy? If you are such a person you are better than I. I have been this week, aside from working on the next cast, and playing a game for the purpose of showering you all on the warm glow of my brilliance, trying to work out what the parents like and what I could get them.

I know what would suit the bill exactly. A trip to the Arc de Triomphe racing next year for both of them, and they would like that. The problem is, I don’t really have the money for that, and I actually think that would cause more problems over spending that on the family as it would be a nice gift to give.

So what does that leave? Dad likes horse racing, Westerns and West Ham. I have no real idea what mum likes except Jonathan Ross, and being honest it would be more difficult to wrap him up and stick the guy under the tree to be opened. His family might object to that.

Someone suggested to me gift vouchers. What is the point of gift vouchers? I ask you! You give someone a voucher which can be spent in selected stores or places up and down the country as opposed to money which is accepted……everywhere!!

And it’s the rush as well, everyone clambering over each other for the last Action Ice Cream Salesman or whatever’s the big thing is to have, and it all ends up looking like the battle of Agincourt. Except with more bloodshed and less tinsel.

So I look to the online stores to aid me in my quest for pressies. And yet I do recall how normal high street shops said they are suffering as a result. How dare these upstarts come along with cheaper prices, free delivery to your door and a wider range of products and rob us of our livelihoods? Naughty Stores!

So what’s the best thing to do? Money – No thought went into it, Gift vouchers – waste of time, something they would like – too much money, something generic designed to cater for all tastes – the receivers face looks like you handed them your own vomit.

Let’s call the whole thing off…