Now I know you will all probably moan at me for bringing up the subject of Christmas in October, but as a baker one has to start planning things in advance...even if it is just soaking fruits to create a wonderfully moist Christmas cake, right? Besides, you can't really escape from all the hype, it will soon be everywhere and before you know it December will arrive and the countdown will really begin!

I have very fond Christmas memories, and I recently decided to take a trip down memory lane and take a look at some childhood photos my Mum has stored away at home. Looking back over the years, it got me thinking about some of the wonderful gifts I have received at Christmas. Of course, there is all the usual stuff that we secretly love- socks, smellies, chocolate etc, but also the not so usual (for example the Minnie Mouse telephone I received from my Grandparents last year!).


However, I think my favourite gift by far was, believe it or not, a box. I remember receiving this as a joint present with my sister the Christmas of 1994 and little did we know that this large wooden box on wheels would bring us many years of fun, joy and make-believe. So what was so special about this box you ask? Well, upon mine and my sister's first peek inside, we soon realised that it was a dressing up box, and contained a variety of costumes such as pink tutu's, witches hats, sequined cloaks and plastic heels-classy!


It certainly kept us occupied for the rest of the day, and over the entire Christmas period in fact. The great thing was, when we did start to get bored of the box, new costumes were added (many of which were made by my very talented Grandma) and so the fun continued. Besides, when we did have enough of dressing up, me and my sister would empty out the box, climb inside and pretend we were on a ship, sailing away to a far away land...


And the worst Christmas gift I ever received? Well, in all honesty, I don't have one. I know we all moan about receiving yet another pair of socks or an ugly knitted Christmas jumper (I never got one of these and would actually quite like one!) but I believe we all should be grateful for any gift that is given to us, because remember, it's the thought that counts (sorry, I just had to say it!).

However, if you you do get stuck for ideas this year, then one place I can recommend for a great variety of gifts that are bound to please anybody-male and female, young and old, is dotcomgift shop. In fact, I have already been having a cheeky little looks myself and added quite a few things to my list! Here are some of my favourite products:

For difficult Dads: