The kids want the latest, must-have toy, hubby wants a gadget, mum wants ‘smellies’ – welcome to the wonderful world of Christmas gifting! It can be a minefield of how much to spend, individual taste, managing expectations and spending too much time on Amazon, or being jostled in overcrowded shops.

This Xmas is going to be trickier than ever for those of us who are feeling the pinch with inflation, and now recession. Even those of us who are comfortably off sometimes wonder what to get for someone who seems to have everything.

So what if you got them something they really want this Xmas?

When I was a kid, the thing I wanted most for Xmas every single year was a day without shouting. My parents argued with each other a lot, and when they weren’t doing that, they were shouting at one of us four kids. The truth is that Xmas is quite a stressful time of year and it often can bring out the worst in all of us. People row, people get drunk, overeat, check out. There are often more people than usual in our houses and the guests often feel entitled to lounge about and do what they want. A friend of mine had his brother to stay one year and in the afternoon after the presents were opened, the brother and his wife went for a siesta, leaving my friend and his partner to do all the clearing up and look after the brother’s kids. I have an uncle who is so addicted to watching footy matches that he watched Liverpool playing whilst attending my wedding (in the actual church!) – he would do exactly the same thing on Xmas day but with cricket.

But at the same time as we may dread it, the child in us still gets excited about Xmas, hopes against hope that it will be the magical time the adverts and movies promise, because we are all desperate to connect and have fun with our loved ones, to put down our cares for a few precious days and just enjoy being together, hanging out on the sofa, playing board games, noshing the chocs.

So what I’m suggesting is that even though the pressies might not be so lavish this year, a wonderful time could still be had by all if we each made a bit of extra effort to behave considerately to each other. Father-in-law could forego the sprouts he loves but that make him fart like a trooper all evening, and Little Sister could go easy on the wine so she doesn’t get all ranty during desert.

Seriously though, we’ve all got enough on our plates right now, how about sitting down with your family or partner and just chatting about little favours you could do for each other on the day, that might make all the difference to how it goes? Could the kids agree to not dash into your room before 8 a.m? Could you agree to let them watch more tv than usual in return? See what little gifts of consideration you and your loved ones can give each other, because I’m pretty sure a gift that absolutely everyone wants for Xmas is peace x