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The shops may have been putting up their Christmas decorations since the beginning of October, but it's right about now that the build-up begins in earnest. My current, 'so what do you want for Christmas?' tally stands at just two, but week by week, phone call by phone call, that will increase. Right up until the mid-December 'tell me what you want or you're getting a [expletive deleted] foot spa' snap point.

This is when I generally suggest gift vouchers, which goes down about as well as Bernard Manning at an equal rights march. (I now own four foot spas, significantly outnumbering my complement of feet.)

And I know I'm not alone. At a conservative estimate, I'd say 99.999999 per cent of PC Pro readers have a similar problem. We know we can pick up that new CD for £6.99 on the Internet rather than £14.99 on the high street, so we do. The same goes for DVDs, books and even booze (if you've never visited www.vintageroots.co.uk, go now).

The end result is that, by the end of the year, there's nothing left for our loved ones, and indeed our

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relatives, to buy for us. This is where PC Pro's cunning 'Gifts for grown-ups' feature comes in. An innocent look might suggest this is a gift guide to help you select that perfect item for friends and family, but scratch beneath the surface and you'll find the truth: they're all for you.

There are two approaches. You can be straightforward and say, 'I'd like item 17, 24 and 36 please. And don't spare the credit card'. But I'd prefer to think of this copy of PC Pro lounging on a coffee table, 'accidentally' left there sprawling open at the feature, with big red rings around your choices. Perhaps marked, 'I like this one. Boy oh boy, it would be nice to receive that on 25 December.'

However you go about it, you can be sure that on that magical day, sitting under the Christmas tree along with all those dried-out needles and empty foil wrappers, there will be something you actually want. Not only because you chose it, but because to even get into our shortlist each item had to be championed by at least one member of the team. Even then, if we didn't like it once we'd got the item in our hands, we kicked it out.

That's why all the items have ratings next to them: we can't just write a fluff piece about a product, as it simply goes against our nature. If they have faults, we'll let you know. And if they're brilliant, we won't be shy in extolling their virtues. We're kind like that.

Despite our tough regime, precisely 50 items made it on to our gift list, ranging from £1.99 all the way to £50,000. If there isn't something you like in that lot, you can call me Bernard. And remember, if you do get a foot spa, you can always go to one of the winners in PC Pro's 10th Anniversary Awards.