The festive holiday season is fast approaching and with it comes the annual exchange of presents and gifts. Although what should be a joyous occasion can all too often turn into disappointment. Obviously some Christmas gifts are very much appreciated, however others call upon our best acting skills to mimic genuine gratitude. It seems that the ghost of Christmas past seems to haunt us with the same awful Christmas presents every year!

Top of the awful Christmas present list are socks. Its cliché but still many a person on Christmas morning, will express no you’re right, you can never have enough pairs of socks through gritted teeth. Even if you’re lucky enough to receive a multi pack of novelty Simpson’s socks the chances are it’s not what you really wanted.

Hand knitted Christmas jumpers also seem to make it under many of our Christmas trees. Usually made from itchy wool and feature the most ridiculous of Christmas characters on the front, these jumpers never seem to fit properly. Being hand knitted also means no receipt along with no chance of exchanging the jumper for something of use.

It seems to be relatives that are the main culprits for disastrous presents. There’s the distant uncle (no one quite knows how he’s related to the family) who gets your sister a genuine leather coat even though she been a vegan for the last five years. There’s the ageing aunt who always comments on how much weight all the family’s put on each year but manages to give everyone a giant Toblerone and a yard of Cadbury’s chocolate fingers! A great start to the New Year’s resolution diet.

Then there’s the new age aunt who opts to donate a goat on your behalf to a village in Africa. A nice idea but not really what you expected. This combined with the previous years of chickens, cows and a flock of sheep has resulted in you pretty much supplying a complete petting zoo to Uganda.

Finally there are the older relatives, the ones who are hard of hearing, almost completely deaf but refuse to wear a hearing aid, no I ride bikes not fly kites great auntie Barbara, but thanks anyway….  Cliff Richard albums, jigsaw puzzles and generic toiletries all seem to be interpreted as the perfect gift.

The old saying goes; it’s better to give than receive, but this isn’t always true. It’s not so easy getting the presents right yourself, often a well-intentioned gift may be misinterpreted by the other half resulting in them literally throwing the gift back in your face!  It’s not only the post giving reaction that can be harmful for your health. Researchers have discovered that the mind and body are  put under dangerous levels of stress during the rush of Xmas shopping. During December the high-street can turn into a battle field with every man and his dog vying for that last minute present. Experts suggest buying on line as a much healthier option to reduce the risk of unnecessary stress and high blood pressure.

Get exactly what you want this Christmas.

Here at PBK we feel your pain and we’re looking to give you something a bit more useful in your stocking. That’s why we’ll soon be devising the PBK advent calendar so you can make sure everyone knows what you want and there can be no excuses for another raft of useless presents and the Oscar winning fake gratitude that follows.

To get you warmed up and in the mood, we’d like you to let us know what you’d like to see in your stocking and create your very own Christmas wish list from PBK. So if you want to tell us what you want to find under your tree this year from the PBK website and why, it will ensure your family and friends will get a huge hint and we’ll pick one lucky person who’ll receive something from their list as an extra Christmas bonus. Just put your wish list in the comments below and who knows, Santa might be coming a bit early!