good laugh, well timed, thank you.

DJ, new york, USA

I have had the same dressing gown for the past 30+ years. It was lovingly hand made for me by a dear friend that I have not seen in twenty. How precious can a gift be?

jd, MESA, USA

Absolutely BLISSFUL commentaria. Thank you for the wonderful acerbic humour - you have made my day! Ahhhh....

MIKE, Quebec, Canada

Your dressing gown is approx 30 years old? yuk. Get someone to buy you a new one and feel the fleece. Mmm.

James Lobeck, Liphook, Hampshire

Does Jewelry count?

Steve, Kabul,

Andy from London. Thank you so much for a great laugh today! That is a hoot and a half as we say over here on this side of the big pond! Just thinking about it makes me laugh. I am going to have to share this with my friends tomorrow evening at my Christmas Happy Hour. Cheers!

P K Landry, Houston, USA

Christmas is not about presents but about caring for others. Gift giving creates more environmental destruction and is a very wasteful process as most gifts are useless items and in most cases not liked by the receiver. Get real, get environmental. Give your Xmas money to wildlife funds.

Jim Wills, Brisbane, Australia

I got a cow bell for Christmas this year. I'd mentioned I wanted a bell to announce dinner and now I've got a BIG one. It's bl**dy brilliant!

Last year I got a dubloon. And yes, I did want one. Oh, and a time turner.

My partner is really good at remembering things I mention in passing.

Ross, Lancaster, UK

I've had my dressing gown for decades too, bought in M&S for a birthday one year. It must be 25yrs old if it's a day. The neck is looking a little bare but the rest just keeps plodding on. I'll undoubtedly die in it unless I've been evaporated in a nuclear explosion.

Sarah Hague, Montpellier, France

That dressing gown stall in Covent Garden really has some nice stuff. I got one a few years ago but it's just not true that they last forever - 2 new cats managed to shred mine within 6 months. A new one would be very welcome

Jason, Edinburgh, UK

I think it's all unanimous - dressing gown is what I want for Christmas. There is a stall in Covent Market that has magnificent dressing gowns but at 150 pounds I came home disappointed last Christmas. A man should have at least two, I agree.

Bill, Vancouver, Canada

Like a lot of guys, I try and buy useful presents. Receiving 'unisex' gifts helps the environment as they can be recycled, but if that's not an option there's always toiletries, lingerie, plants, and DVDs of Sex and the City (not every woman likes practical presents such as irons and hoovers).

Stephen, Glasgow,

Super articicle. Love the wine gums comment.

I actually think its easier for men to buy a present than for women. Women have a seriously long list of things they want (which is basically for men to demonstrate that they are willing to sacrifice a scarce commodity for them - money, time).

Patrick, Warsaw, Poland

Last year I bought my Missus a platinum ring. I got wine gums and a toblerone.
The year before, I gave her a grand for a spending spree. I got wine gums and a toblerone.
I could go on, but the message is that I for one would settle for a dressing gown.

Dave, York, England

hilarious, I partucularly agree with the chocolate paragraph as for some reason ,come dec 5th ,my brain insists that a chocolate orange is one of my "five-a-day"!

angela, london,

@SP: Haha! Its funny how one day you make up and realise how sad you life has become. I hope i get a spare dressing gown this Christmas! :)

David, Zurich,

My wife bought me a dark-blue Boss dressing gown a few years ago. Unfortunately, one end of the waist-belt got dunked in a sinkful of bleach, and now has a pink tip. I am therefore condemned to spend the rest of my life wandering around the house looking as if I'm flashing!

Andy, London,

Absolutely first class article. Completely made my day.

Kevin, Kingston,

I feel sorry for Caitlin's family and friends, wondering whether they can get a refund for all that perfume, chocolate and cheese they've bought her. Buy her books, guys, authors love reading other people's work.

Frank Upton, Solihull,

I'm still waiting for a really good fruitcake. No one gives fruitcake anymore. Give me a good, brandy-soaked fruitcake (and an extra bottle of brandy--just in case).
I agree about the vouchers.

Sarah, Zimmerman, MN, USA

Does she live in the real world? Who the hell can afford bloody hot ari balloonr trips over wherever and cockails with rings to choke you etc? Recession anyone? Get real woman and just accept real love and cuddles rather than fairy tales and fantasy.

Bahkti, Hitchin, England

Any adult living in the 21st Century will have solved this dilemma with a thoughtfully prepared Amazon wishlist; no high street shopping trauma, gift wrapping all done and delivered to the recipients door. I guess eternal Scrooges will still find fault in easily getting gifts people want to them.

Luke Brunning, SOWERBY BRIDGE, United Kingdom

SP - what's wrong with discussing house coats? aka dressing gowns? I'm cooler than cool, too - especially after a fruitless trawl of the hell that is the West End, recently. JL, Gap, BHS, M&S etc - utter waste of time; and I refuse to go down the White Co. or Hanro road for such an item. Help!

Victoria, London,

You have no idea of the relief it is to reside in a nice, neutral Buddhist country. Observing other people's Christmas hysteria from a distance is, in and of itself a type of therapy. Couldn’t you say you'd become an Atheist so weren't participating in Christmas? Would that work?

Andrew Milner, Karuizawa, Japan

a dressing gown is a good present as its good to have a spare one for when the proper one (ie the one you bought yourself) is in the wash.

god how boring am i - discussing spare dressing gowns, i used to be cool and do cool stuff but now im on the internet discussing dressing gowns.

sp, london,

The 'food as gifts' thing is a throwback from the apples and oranges in stockings from times past.
(I still get the fruit from mom & dad and I am 30something!) Snacking on a juicy orange and opening gifts at grannys is a great memory.
The BAD thing is that it has progressed from fruit to junk.

Rose, California, USA

Actually, now that you've mentioned a bathrobe, I know EXACTLY what to buy the man in my life when he stays over. Thank you :)

Morag, Maidstone, UK