I was listening to one of the Sussex-based radio stations yesterday afternoon and the presenter was inviting people to contact the show to explain how they budget for Christmas.

Now, I’ve got a bit of a history as a ‘Bah Humbug’ type who rants on an on about Christmas (although I’ve calmed down now that I have two little boys who like to view festive lights and nativity scenes, etc.) but this radio feature really got my goat. It’s not the fault of Christmas itself, per se, but the fact that people feel under such massive pressure to join in the rampant consumer-fest that they must “save for Christmas every month of the year”, as one person suggested, and/or give their credit cards a thorough battering and live with the debt throughout the New Year.

In the UK, the festive season is all about “this Christmas, you need a...” Buy as much as you can! Eat as much as you can... and then spend the New Year being force-fed weight-loss plans by a variety of TV advertisers. The current Boots Christmas TV ad makes my hackles rise. Backed by the tune, ‘Here Comes the Girls’, a family is sitting round the Christmas table. They are grabbing and mauling at a load of presents, while sporting greedy expressions. It reminds me of as set of jackals at the kill or, perhaps, pigs at the trough – oink oink.

Do the kids really need the latest Wii, Xbox 360 or PS3? The most desirable models of these “must-have” (must we?) gadgets are often in short supply pre-Christmas, meaning that Mum and Dad must trawl websites, such as Wiipreorder.co.uk, that inform shoppers when new stock arrives at UK-wide suppliers. Roll up! Roll up! Eager parents can play the adult equivalent of “grab snap” over these gadgets to avoid “the disappointed kids taking a fit on Christmas morning.” Ahem! What’s wrong with the parents buying something that they can actually afford and can obtain – isn’t it supposed to be the thought that counts? After receiving their Wii consoles, the kids will sit in their bedrooms for the rest of the year obsessively playing platform games. Oh well, I suppose it keeps them quiet and ASBO-free. As for younger children, they really do prefer to play with the cardboard boxes and will discard or break their expensive gadgets by Boxing Day, if my experience is the norm.

I reckon people should stop buying into the “this Christmas, you need a...” mentality and provide a December 25 that falls within their means. And if that means giving friends and family hand-made cards instead of expensive presents, or just wishing them well or inviting them for a glass of sherry, it really should be ‘the thought that counts’. In fact, on occasions when friends have taken the trouble to make me a festive card, a collage or similar, those gifts have lasted to this day and have special value that a store-bought item can never achieve. After all, anyone can go into town and buy socks or a pretty-coloured bubble bath set, and then shove them into shiny paper. Not much thought is required there. Are we sheep, following the “we need a...” herds? Yes, I think we are. What we really need is a turkey and some good tidings. And perhaps the mulled wine can stay.