Well, we've put it off as long as we can, but with Christmas just around the corner, we should probably start thinking about gifts. But great pressie ideas don't have to be hard work – in fact, with just few taps online, you can pretty much sort out treats for the entire family. We have a few exciting ideas up our sleeves already, so take a gander at this lot...
This is your life
Michael Parkinson used to do it on the telly back in the day and more recently, Piers Morgan is the king of telling life stories – but it's not the just celebrities who have something special to share – we all know someone who has a great tale.
Enter this fantastic Kensal Rise-based company, Love Your Stories, who – together with a selection of award-winning BBC journalists - carefully compose and produce super-professional and personal life stories tailored to your individual needs, through interviews and photography.
Founder Rowan Wilkinson rightly says: “Unfortunately, whilst we are constantly bombarded with stories about the lives of others by the media, often, the life stories of our own family, friends and in particular, our ageing loved ones, remain untold and un-documented.”
So this is a nice way to change all that. Definitely one for the older generation, but what a fabulous present!
loveyourstories.com
If you've visited Brindisa at Borough Market, you'll know their tapas menus go down a right treat. And as December approaches, the Spanish Food company will be selling their much-loved hams online – so if you're bored of turkey, this could be the perfect family-filling alternative.
Choose between five sets – from the Teruel Serrano Ham on the bone to the Jabugo Pequeno Ham. Each has been cured for varying amounts of time and are sourced from the Pata Negra heartland to the highest village in Andalucia.
Each package will come complete with instructions on how to wipe down the ham and carve it, and will include a ham stand (yes, really) and carving knife.
If you know someone in charge of Boxing Day lunch, this could actually make their day.
http://www.brindisa.com
F1 fun
Boys (and quite a few girls, too) love the idea of getting behind the wheel of a Formula One car, but short of befriending the likes of Lewis Hamilton, this isn't an easy thing to manage.
Luckily Lets Race, based near Gatwick, have created this seriously impressive F1 motion simulator, the only one in the UK in fact. And with experiences starting from just £5, adrenaline junkies everywhere can enjoy some super-speedy post-Christmas fun.
The best packages allow fans to watch the F1 race and then face the same circuit themselves using the venues full-motion simulators.
Way better than hitting the local arcades, I reckon.
www.letsrace.co.uk
Handy headphones
If you're anything like me, you probably spend a lot of time at the start of tube journeys untangling your headphones. Somehow, no matter how neatly I fold them away, they always end up in a knotty mess in my bag. Bah humbug!
For those in the same position, these revolutionary new ear-pieces, which allow you to zip up when not using them, would be a welcome addition to stockings – and for just £9.99, they're an easy gift to keep the teens (and other members of the family) happy. Easy!
http://www.thehut.com
