I wasn't going to write yet another Christmas article, because at this time of the year there are plenty of those! However, I did want to write about books, and somehow, books and Christmas do seem to go together.
Speak to anyone in the publishing trade and they will tell you that the market for books at Christmas is at its highest.
How else to explain all those TV tie-ins, ghosted celebrity autobiographies, and 'comedy' books with titles like '101ways to stuff your hamster/granny/Ford Cortina.
'? And where do they all go to after Christmas? Some turn up in the January sales, so all you canny shoppers out there can get in early and get next Christmas's presents at half the price.
Some turn up in February and March in the local charity shop.
Some get remaindered...
According to the TV news, on 1st October 2009, 800 hardback titles were released in order to compete for the Christmas market.
That does not count paperbacks, or eBooks.
But there are some great books out there and there is something for everyone.
They range from perennial seasonal best-sellers such as the Guinness Book of Records, and Delia Smith's latest offering, 'Delia's Happy Christmas', to top-rated authors such as Dan Brown (The Lost Symbol) and my favourite, Martina Cole (Hard Girls).
It never fails to amaze me how she can write basically the same story every book, but as a budding novelist myself, I have nothing but admiration for her ability to do it! Also doing well is the Man Booker Prize winner, Hilary Mantel whose Wolf Hall is about the life of Thomas Cromwell and took five years to write.
Classy fiction is always popular to give as a gift.
Look around for discounts, both online and in the shops.
Popular books such as 'Jamie Oliver's America' are available at half price in many bookshops, so it's worth shopping around.
And if all else fails and you really don't know what to give, there's always the book token so they can choose for themselves.