Somewhere in Britain this weekend, someone is writing their Christmas list in a notebook with proper columns. I'm not saying it's me. I'm not saying it isn't.
Black Friday is on Friday 27 November this year. That leaves just over a month to do the sensible thing and work out who you're buying for before the day, not at seven in the morning with one eye open and a cold cup of tea. So here's our gift guide, sorted by person, with a mug idea for each. Make the list now, and on the day all you have to do is buy what's on it. Groundbreaking, we know.
Before anything else: write the names down
Lots of our mugs have a name printed on them, so the most useful thing you can do this weekend is jot down who's on your list and how they actually spell it. Is it Sian or Siân? Does your uncle go by his full name, or the one everyone actually calls him? Find out now, quietly, without giving the game away.
If you'd like to see what can be personalised before you start, our personalised mugs are the place to begin.
For the family
Parents are the hardest people to buy for. They tell you they don't want anything. They mean it, and at the same time they really don't. Our Dad mugs and Mum mugs are a good way round that, because a mug with their name on it gets used every morning instead of going in a drawer.
Our favourite for this lot is the World's Best Personalised Mug. It does exactly what it says on the mug, and it's hard to imagine anyone minding being called the world's best anything. It works for the grandparents too, who will probably keep it on the windowsill so visitors can see it.
For brothers and sisters, have a look at our sister mugs and brother mugs. And don't leave out the aunties and uncles. They're always slipping you a tenner at family dos, so they've earned one.
For the friend who's impossible to buy for
Every group has one. They have everything already, and if they don't, they bought it for themselves in about twenty minutes. That's where a mug with a joke on it comes in. Have a browse through our friend mugs first.
If you know someone who needs a gentle health warning attached, the Warning Personalised Mug does the job with their name on it. And then there's the Really is ONE Fart Away from A Poo Personalised Mug. We'd skip that one for your boss. For your oldest friend, though, it's practically compulsory.
For work: colleagues, Secret Santa and teachers
The office Secret Santa draw usually turns up around the same time as the first mince pies in the kitchen, so it's worth getting ahead. Our Secret Santa mugs are a safe bet when all you know about the person is that they once borrowed your stapler.
For a colleague you actually know (and like), try the colleague mugs. If there are school-age children in your house, the end of the autumn term comes round fast, and our teacher mugs get a thank-you sorted without a last-minute trip to the petrol station.
For the football fan
Football fans are easy to buy for, as long as you get the team right. Get it wrong and you're spending Christmas in the shed. Our football mugs cover a lot of ground, and the Keep Calm and Support mugs go club by club, from the Keep Calm And Support Tranmere Rovers Mug to the Keep Calm And Support Kidderminster Harriers Mug. Staying calm on a Saturday afternoon is a lot to ask, but it's something to aim for.
For the winter birthdays
Black Friday doesn't have to be all about Christmas. If someone on your list has a birthday in December or January, you can get both done at once and look wonderfully organised. Our birthday mugs are the big collection. For the round numbers, there are 30th, 40th and 50th birthday mugs, plus our 30, 40, 50.. Isn't Old mugs, which say what we've all been telling ourselves for years.
And one for the day itself
Yes, we do have a small collection of Black Friday mugs. We'll let you take a look rather than spoil it here. It's a fun one for the person in your life who treats the day like a sport.
A couple of things to check on the day
Whatever the shop is running on the day, and how long things will take to arrive, is all on the shop's own pages. Have a look there when the time comes rather than relying on what you remember. Then check each name one last time before you order. One wrong letter on a personalised mug can make a family argument last into Boxing Day.
That's the list. Put the kettle on, find a pen and start writing names down. You'll thank yourself in December.
