Difficult to buy for: because the perception can be there is nothing you can get them. This can be down to huge personal wealth on their behalf, or just because they are very fussy/difficult/old. Or all three at the same time. So these are our top tips for this difficult bunch: 1. Get personal. Remember all those photos hidden in the loft? Get them made into beautiful photobooks, or canvases, even a mousemat. You can’t beat the memories you made together for raising a smile. Or go further back. Are there photos of previous generations hidden away? Bring them back to life, before the photos disappear. Maybe get an old photo restored. There are lots of people doing this kind of thing, from personal experience I prefer Photobox. 2. Make a wish come true. Is there something they have...

Oh Lord, I hope not, not on the strenght of the sneak preview during Children In Need. Now, this may be like hearing the news that Daniel Craig was to be the new Bond (anyone remember the campaigns against him now?) but I wasn’t mad keen. I did read somewhere that his portrayal was more like Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter than a Timelord! Not ready for David Tennant to leave yet! And also not convinced we know the answer...

I love Heal’s, especially for finding unique and unusual gifts for him or for her, that you don’t see everywhere. Not to mention beautiful things for decorating home and hearth. And right now you can get 15% off your shopping from today through until 23 November. Shop online from the comfort of your own home, bang in code 1308 at checkout and stylish gifts will turn up for less cash!...

Confetti is so much more these days than a source of advice about weddings! Their shop is full of great gifts, and right now they have 20% off everything until 30 November 2008. There are some lovely personalised gifting opportunities, which always make great presents. Use voucher code SPCL20 to qualify but be...

I love Firebox! It helps solve so many gift questions, especially for difficult men. In fact, I would think it is probably my one-stop shop for great presents for guys. Right now you can get £5 off with no minimum spend, which is a great deal in these credit-crunch times.  You just need to send them your email address here and they will email you back a unique code to spend on whatever you need! I can’t decide whether to spend mine on Sparkling Vodka or My Own Morph. So get on over there and solve all your present...

I know everyone else has written about it, but it’s taken me this long to recover! I’d resigned myself to the fact that a life with David Tennant was only happening in some parallel universe (besides which Dr T is an only child and doesn’t like to share), but I could comfort myself with the regular slot of a Saturday teatime with David. And now that dream is cruelly shattered too! Even worse…the Gene Genie himself, Philip Glenister, made it pretty clear on Michael Ball’s show this morning that he didn’t think he wanted the role. That would have been quite something (it was part of my theory for last season’s finale) but the Daleks are safe from a tounge lashing from Gene Hunt. For now. As for David, well, I can understand it. Just. I did feel bad...

I’ve written about this before, but there was a discussion on Radio 4 this morning about how doing things even when times are bad can make you feel better. And if you want an ultimate feel good trip for not much cash, then how about some bargain tickets for The Sound of Music? Well, Discount Theatre currently have £35 tickets for the show for just £10! £10! Imagine, all that running through the hills to the sound of music, looking for the lonely goatherd and do ray me’ing for just £10 each. Yes it’s sugary sweet and not exactly challenging, but it’s a fabulous escape from reality for a couple of hours. No financial crisis, no Jonathan Ross, just Maria and the nuns and some cute children. What are you waiting...

There is no denying it, the festive season is approaching. I have to say I have bought my first gift today. Obviously I can’t say what I bought for who or what it is, but I will say I am very impressed with the really interesting and unique gift ideas at Muji! Particularly all the wooden gifts! And arriving home, it seems to have been Christmas catalogue delivery day! So, in case you want to start thinking about it, then here’s my top choices from today’s mammoth delivery of catalogues! 1. Christopher Ward I love the look of their watches, they have incredible style and function but without the price tag of more expensive brands. The Kingfisher Diver-Pro is always popular, but for something new I would go for the C8 Pilot for him and the Miro Diamond for her. And their...

We love Plain Lazy, for our bone idle days, or any other day really! And right now they are offering 2 t-shirts for £30. So, you could have one for him, and one for her, or one for spring and for autumn. Or just layer one on top of the other when the first one gets dirty. That might be the Plain Lazy way! Any way that you do it, two for £30 is a...

If you’re going to need a gift for a first Christmas for a new mummy or daddy, then Urchin is a very good place to start. We love their Pint and Half Pint tshirts, a great gift for a new dad and the baby, and for the new mum we love the “before you were conceived” photo frame. If you place an order over £75 between now and 31 October, you’ll get 10% off with code A0810X.  There are also some really cute gifts for children and especially for baby’s first...

I love Not On the High Street, as my bank manager will testify! It really does what it says on the tin, and is a great source for unique and unusual gifts for everyone: guys, girls, kids, boring people, difficult people, anyone really! I spent a happy half hour reading their new mail-order catalogue last night, and decided I want to be Sophie’s neighbour. I interviewed her some time ago for the site, and thought then she seemed a very nice person. But in the catalogue she has this beautiful Ripple bangle as being an ideal gift for her neighbour. Now I love my neighbours dearly, but unfortunately for them, I don’t love any of them this much! Although if Dr T would like to consider me his neighbour in bed, then I would be very happy to find this in my Christmas stocking! There...

Lets face it, the last few weeks have been stressful. Even if you don’t work in high finance, and haven’t got a clue what they’ve been on about, then all the doom and gloom has just made it seem very stressful. I’m adding to that gremlins in the CMS system that plague me trying to get new content up (hello gremlins, Christmas is coming, everyone will still go into present meltdown soon, get off my case!!), two and a half weeks away from home, late nights and bad hotel food, and it’s all a bit too much. So, if your loved one is having a tough time of it, here’s our suggestions on things you could do: 1) As Dr T will tell you, it’s very easy to destress me: one large shepherd’s pie, a large glass of rose, a trashy film and an early night, and...

I cannot believe that I have only just found out this was National Chocolate Week! Quite what difference it would have made to me, given my already pretty much daily indulgence. I was left a gift of a Hotel Chocolat selection at a hotel this week but, if like me, your loved one is more of a dark chocolate freak, then this probably won’t hit the spot! I would be much happier with a selection from Montezuma’s, especially the Orange & Geranium Plain Chocolate. Or the Orange Slices. Or even a Crunchy Peppermint Dollop. You know what? Just ship me the shop! If you want some other choices, then check out the Chocolate Trading Co and Green & Blacks, or A Quarter Of if you think they would fancy some nostalgic choccies, such as a Curly Wurly or Walnut Whip. And if they have...

I’ve written several times about how much I love Pedlars, and that it’s a great source of unique and unusual gifts, for even the most difficult people! Well, I love their current collection, which is all about stuff that’s made by small businesses in the UK, and there are some fantastic choices in this selection. I’m loving the Table Footballer Streaker set, a faithful homage to some infamous Twickenham streakers that’ll make an interesting and true to life addition to any Subbuteo set. It says it’s hand pained in South Wales, which I suspect is a typo, but given the amount of tiny detail, I expect that’s how the hands ended up! For anyone who has any association with London, or a love of transport, then there are some great choices such as old...

As I predicted in my Christmas trends for 2008, I don’t think there will be many moments when there isn’t a free delivery offer going on your favourite site, and there are a number around right now. So Dixons are doing free delivery on everything over £499 (code is DEL499) through till 5pm on 6 October 2008, and on LCD Panel TVs this runs through to 5pm on Friday 10 October (use code DELTV instead).  The Gift Experience are offering free delivery for all orders over £40, and free gift cards with all orders. Plus from now till 31 December this year they are offering 10% off all orders over £35 (code XMASGIFT). In spite of the name of the site, they offer much more than just experience days, with some great personalised and fun gifts too. And yes, you can spend less...

Well, not the way I do it anyway! I’m in rehearsals for a show and my twenty second routine shows that I really was born with two left feet and no sense of rhythm! Still, like millions of others, I shall be glued to the screen for the real return of Strictly Come Dancing tonight. And like many others, I’ll still harbour a secret desire to get up there and have a go! I’m told the cha cha is the easiest, and I guess the least embarrassing route is to get a DVD and try it at home. With the curtains shut! Alternatively a number of the gift experience companies offer dance gifts, which might make a great present if your loved one always says they want to try it. Just bear in mind you will probably have to go to! BuyaGift do an Introductory Dance Experience for two, which is...

For those of you buying for a loved one who likes a drink, but a stylish one, I think The Purveyor will be for you. This is not the place to go looking for a cheap bottle of plonk, but for fine champagnes and spirits. If you’re trying to shop for a gift for the man or woman who has everything, which is always difficult, then how about their home cocktail service? Sadly, only currently available within the M25 or in Manchester, but what a service this sounds! Your own personal mixologist will mix tailor-made cocktails for you and your guests, and brings all the kit except ice with them! Whilst not cheap (works out just over £16 per drink), it would make an unusual and memorable (depending on the cocktail) gift and a great night. If your loved one is facing a significant birthday, or...

No, this is not the one about turning up naked with pizza, but we bet there are a lot of guys who wish they owned a brewery! Well, for about £30 (US $50, depends on what the markets have been up to), you could make that dream come true. Check out BeerBankroll.com, where your $50 will get him a t-shirt, and he gets to join a beer community that will raise the funds and share ideas on how to get this brewery up and running. Imagine the bragging rights down the pub! He gets voting rights on ideas such as the company name, the logo, marketing, advertising…the lot really without the hassle of having to turn up in the office every day! A rewards scheme is also in place where he will earn points based on the company’s profitablity. We think it’s quite a unique gift, and one...

August. It was really a bit of a washout, and probably one to forget. It might have meant you had more time online than in a sunny August, and these were the things you were thinking about as you came to Problem Presents: 1) It was all about the Tefal Electric Jam Maker. Lots of us got very excited about this, and I can imagine there are jars and jars of jam being lined up across the country. This should be a great time for the jam makers, with raspberries and strawberries followed by the blackberries, but after the appalling summer, who knows what the harvests will be like? Good job it’s got a rice pudding setting then! 2) Some of you were desperate to get your hands on Fit Flops in August. Given how many great new colours were around this year, it’s no surprise. And...

Come on, we’re all completely fed up now! Surely that’s enough rain? Is there anyone still with a hosepipe ban on? I’m seriously considering not going to the horse trials at Burghley this weekend. Of course I was looking forward to the shopping, eating and drinking, but then I can stay here and do all that in the warm and dry! Or I could just throw on the wellies, the coat, the brolly… and say what the heck. I love the huge numbers of wellies to choose from at Fred’s, but think they should stock some funky umbrellas too! That said, I quite fancy the kid’s Monster Umbrella, it kind of reflects my mood about the weather. I remember on my first trip to New York I came across a shop called For Ducks (as in nice weather for I assume) which sold nothing but...

I love this! Be Cheeky have come up with a great promotion to celebrate Team GB’s outstanding Olympic achievements. To celebrate the 47 medal haul, they are offering 47% off selected lingerie from their British Designers Collection. And this is not just girls allowed, as there are great boys pants on offer too! And if you order before 5pm this Saturday, you’ll go into a draw to win £100 worth of lingerie. Which could make you a winner all round, without the early morning training or 12,000 calorie...