This Christmas/holiday, with families in lockdown, ordering online seems to be the way to go. Or, at best, buy on the high street and then post.

But how do you get presents to people without them opening them in advance? Let me share what my family are doing and, I have to say (particularly as it wasn’t my idea), it’s ingenous, yet simple.

So, you want to send a present to Uncle Bob. He lives with Auntie Jean. But if you deliver it to him, what’s to stop him from opening it without realising what it is (particularly if it’s in common packaging, such as an Amazon box)?

What you do is you send to Auntie Jean. But, write the receipient as their middle names. So, you’d write “Jean BOB Smith” as the person to send it to. Of course, you’d tip off Auntie Jean as to what was happening. That way, she’ll ger the parcel but know to put it to once side for her husband for Christmas – maybe, if you ask nicely, she’ll unbox and wrap it too.

And it’s as simple as that. Our family have been doing this with everything, making sure that no surprises are spoilt and, in a lot of cases, the receipients aren’t even aware of the fact that anything has turned up at all. Maybe you can still get away with telling them it was Santa…. even Uncle Bob.