After you have bought a copy of the book for all of your relatives, both those near and dear and those you see once a decade, there remains the question of what to get as the real present for your loved ones this Christmas.

May I suggest something manufactured in the UK? You know, something real, actually made, a physical object fashioned in the heart of the original workshop of the world, Stourbridge in the West Midlands? Indeed, from the heart of the UK’s glass making industry?

Yes, I knew you would agree so get along to Ann Vernon Griffiths Glass.

Freeblown, hand made, stunning pieces of glass with a sculptural twist. Yes, my wife will be getting a piece for her upcoming birthday.

And the reason for this shilling? No, not for any grubby commercial reasons like commissions or anything, nor freebies. Solely and purely because I think it’s stunning stuff.

Well, and the fact that Ann is family.