So what did you get then? Anything nice?

[Sean of the Shed]

Mrs of the Shed and myself don't bother exchanging presents anymore, so there are far fewer of them under the tree. Usual suspects such as chocolate, socks, chocolate socks etc, but my mother showed a bit of imagination and bought me Eric Idle's autobiography, or sortabiography as he describes it.

[Janik]

Curtains. No really. Thanks, Mum.
Also socks, a coat that doesn't fit and will need exchanging, some books and a new Squash Racquet bag as the zips on the old one are all going (specific order). And it was all great, however mundane it might sound.

The weirdest present was one my sister got - Bluetooth enable, battery powered, three figure price tag, heated, smart... pair of socks! One pair. Yes, costing £100+. They are for skiing and she really needs a solution to the cold feet issue, so a damn good idea.

[Sits]

Well £100 Bluetooth socks are a hard act to follow. I'll try: a bench vice, nail/staple gun, drill bit set, blue chinos and too much chocolate.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

A guide to Havana, Our Man in Havana (novel and DVD), Havana Bay by the Gorky Park bloke, and a bottle of rum. Anyone would think I've been banging on about going.

[Gerontophile]

I got a rock.

[Toby Gymshorts]

To wind a piece of string around?

I got a PS4 Pro, Spider-Man, God of War and Bloodborne. Because a) I'm a giant manchild and b) nobody knew what to get me so TLMG organised it and parents, etc. chipped in.

[Gerontophile]

It was a reference to 'Charlie Brown', which under the circumstances is a wrong reference, as it was Hallowe'en when he said it. But it's 3 am and I am a little* buzzed.

(I start work at 1 am on the 26th.)

*Terms and conditions apply. Have a nice day x

[Toby Gymshorts]

My reference (and you didn't see a thing, right?).

[Moonlight Shadow]

A Kindle paperwhite, the new waterproof version from the missus, lots of weird and wonderful beers from her son including a luscious black lager called 'Neu'...(thinking of fishing out David's book and play some Neu now)

The GLW got a painting from me, got a colleague who is quite arty, of her standing atop a trig point in the hills...she does that for real ..

[Lucy Waterman]

I got the company of my brother in law, which is sufficient punishment to satisfy any ill-wisher.

Thus far, he has already twice referred to my son having learning difficulties (he doesn’t), drunk a pint of orange squash out of a Pyrex jug my wife had just washed up for gravy, broken a champagne flute (also filled with orange squash, within five minutes of the Pyrex jug downing - he is in his mid thirties)) and asked me to précis a play I’ve been writing for two years “in a sentence” (last thing I’d want to do is cut into the squash imbibing time).

[Toby Gymshorts]

....tell him to fuck off?

Families, eh?

[Sean of the Shed]

Your brother-in-law is a prick, Lucy. I admire your patience. I would have told him to get the fuck out long before now.

[Jah Womble]

Well, with any luck, an adult addiction to sugary kids' drinks will have a serious knock-on at some point.

We're having 'quiet after the storm' now. Lounge floor looks like Guernica. I copped for a surfeit of socks, chocolate and root beer - so I might also be facing said 'knock-on'.

[treibeis]

Your brother-in-law is a prick, Lucy. I admire your patience. I would have told him to get the fuck out long before now.

I wouldn't tolerate a grown man drinking orange squash on my planet, let alone in my house.

[treibeis]

I got nothing official. However, yesterday, I got €177 in tips. Not bad for five hours' work.

[Moonlight Shadow]

Lucy....good luck....

[longeared]

Books, socks, boxer shorts, a chest infection, a nice message from the lady I'd like to become Ms longeared and apparently I'm getting chicken for lunch.

[Logan Mountstuart]

I love my People's Republic Of Stroud T shirt.

[elguapo4]

Jumper and polo shirt, Star Trek the original series on DVD ,David Attenborough and Irish history books, v happy with it all.

[Moonlight Shadow]

Oh....a fucking cold too..

[nmrfox]

Nothing. Me and my wife don't buy each other anything anymore and we told the children not to bother either and to spend it on their respective partners and/or on our grandchildren.

[Snake Plissken]

A wedding ring.

To explain. I’ve actually been married to Mrs P for nearly 11 years. She managed to lose my main wedding ring by insisting that she put it somewhere safe in the house when we went on holiday. So we had the “backup” ring we use for travelling promoted to a permanent place on my left hand. Until she managed to mangle that by dropping something heavy on it. (Luckily my finger wasn’t in it at the time.)
So after 18 months of really being bugged that I wasn’t wearing a ring I asked for a new one for Christmas.

[Nocturnal Submission]

I'm a bit like nmrfox and don't really go in for gifts for myself, so just a few small items from the wife and kids. But my 15-year-old daughter wanted a record player, which I bought for her. She's going to get some vinyl but, for now, she's having to make do with my limited collection, the best of which appears to be The Jungle Book LP. I haven't looked at my record collection for decades and was surprised to be reacquainted with a folksy Roy Wood number that I can't believe I spent my pocket money on, Samson & Delilah by Middle of the Road which was a rather lovely nostalgic trip back to the early-70s and, a rare later purchase, Is This The Life? by the Cardiacs, which I've got absolutely no recollection of buying.

Very much looking foward to playing my war films theme tunes album at some point!

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

he's having to make do with my limited collection, the best of which appears to be The Jungle Book LP.

This is also true of people with massive vinyl collections.

[WOM]

A wedding ring.

To explain. I’ve actually been married to Mrs P for nearly 11 years. She managed to lose my main wedding ring by insisting that she put it somewhere safe in the house when we went on holiday. So we had the “backup” ring we use for travelling promoted to a permanent place on my left hand. Until she managed to mangle that by dropping something heavy on it. (Luckily my finger wasn’t in it at the time.)
So after 18 months of really being bugged that I wasn’t wearing a ring I asked for a new one for Christmas.

Wait....so your original wedding ring is still somewhere, hidden 'safely' in your house?