Editorial: It really is the thought isn't it?

Well another Christmas has come and gone and it's likely there is the odd father or loved one who has been given a Christmas present they will have absolutely no use for.

I've been guilty of it in the past and, to tell you the truth, one festive season, as a 10-year-old, I gave my mum a gravy jug just because it looked like her favourite coffee cup she always got me to make her coffee in.

I thought it was a real practical gift. It looked like her favourite coffee cup but it held gravy. What else could a mother want? Needless to say I remember back to the day she unwrapped it and her fake look of "wow, this is awesome".

My father retired on Monday, after more than 30 years of working for the same company. So what do you give a man who has practically everything?

Well, I gave him a photo of himself. It was his head superimposed on to Sonny Bill Williams' body. Practical? No, not at all but I've always struggled with gift buying for my parents.

But it appears I'm not the only one. I did a search on the internet to see what were the most pointless Christmas gadgets of last year.

Well it turns out USB Toast Hand Warmers for when you were typing on your computer were the craze. I'm not quite sure what the person who invented them was thinking at the time. But basically, they looked like toast and covered the back of your hands, but your fingers were exposed. Now I'm thinking if you need to cover the back of your hands because it's too cold, aren't your fingers also in danger of the same thing? Also wouldn't it make more sense to actually just turn up the heater in the room you are working in if you are cold?

Perhaps we should spare a thought for the guy in England who received some garden shears from his mum - when the 20-year-old has no interest in gardening.

Whatever you received, I guess it's all about the thought and effort put into the gift. I mean, my mum still has the gravy jug I gave her at home.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas.