Christmas is, without a shadow of a doubt, my favourite time of the year. Magic, as the Muppets once sang,  is in the air and festive cheer permeates from all around - it's perhaps the only occasion when random acts of kindness aren't considered odd behaviour too! On top of this, Christmas brings with it it's own jukebox, great food, familial fun and, if you've been nice all year, great presents too. This year I must have been super good because there's still a few days left until December 25th and I've already got some fantastic and wonderful presents from a couple of Secret Santas I participated in.

   Firstly, at work, I received these wonderful items:


As a gentleman who takes pride in my appearance, and realises the way that a well chosen pair of shoes can improve the tone of a whole outfit, keeping them well spruced is essential and, as such, I was thrilled with this polish.

I also received this box of male grooming products and, not pictured, some chicken to help satiate my carnivorous lust for the meat which has begun to dominate a small part of my life since recently renouncing my vegetarianism.

   The second of the Secret Santas I participated in was a blogger based one ran by the delightful Dino Princess Char. I was initially going to save this package until Christmas day but, as I got carried away with the spirit of Secret Santa I ended up opening it early too (I checked with Char about the etiquette - other bloggers had opened their's so I decided to open mine too!)


This lovely card was the first thing I opened - it revealed to me that my Blogger Santa was none other than Amy from Wolf Whistle! It's clear from her blog she s a girl of great tastes and her selection of items for me proved this even further!


This hip flask is perfect - it's pocket sized and, as such, perfect for taking to gigs and films in a discreet way! I'll be carrying some rum in it over the winter period to warm my cockles on chilly days!


This bow tie, however, was the creme de la creme of all the gifts I received this year - it's smart and versatile, easy to fasten and I can't wait to try it out with as many different outfit combinations as possible as I attempt to channel my inner Darren Criss!


Here's my first attempt at using the bow tie - it happened to go perfectly with the salmon tank top I just happened to be wearing. Expect to see it in an OOTD post very soon! In fact - expect each of these items to get their own reviews and/or posts  in the future too!

Have you people been involved with a Secret Santa this year?
What's the best present you've ever sent/received?