Like Santa’s sack, our inbox has been overflowing since we asked readers to reveal the best Christmas gifts they’ve ever received. How heartening it was to be reminded that something as small as a book can kickstart a lifelong fascination into a subject. The power of the written word was a key theme among the responses we received, with books proving to be some of the most consistently memorable gifts.
Many of you also wrote movingly of the seemingly small homemade items that you received years earlier but still cherish; from handknitted socks to misspelled cards from tiny children who are now adults. It was these tiny acts of love, these thoughtful tokens of appreciation, that stood out above material goods.
As the corporate machine fires up for its festive bonanza, it was a relief to read how many of you quietly rebel against rampant consumerism, including by giving the most precious gift of all: time.
