The Men's Gift Buying Guide

There follows a light hearted look at how to buy a great present for the man in your life.

There are some rules that should be applied when gift shopping for men, and they are presented here, in no particular order.

What not to buy men

1. Do not buy your man a DIY manual. This will most likely make him feel inadequate as it collects dust on those shelves he still hasn't put up.

2. Do not buy your man a "hand held" or a "palm pilot" personal device. He will only be disappointed.

3. Do not buy your man a book on dieting, detoxing or a do-it-yourself colonic irrigation kit. Pretty self explanatory really.

4. Do not your buy your man an exercise bike or home gym even if he has requested one - it will gather dust next to the DIY manual.

What to buy Men

1. Buy your man anything your teenage son would like, specifically games consoles, scalextric kits, a digital camera - in fact, anything hi tech. Don't expect him to get full use out of it though, as he will never read the instructions.

2. Buy your man one of those one-4-all remote controls that control the tv, video, cable etc. He will have hours of fun programming it, then showing you what it will do (pretend to be interested).

3. Buy your man a tool. A power tool preferably. Something like a rechargeable screwdriver or an electric drill. It won't get any use, but it may be displayed in various locations around the house to make him look "handy" and impress his mates.

Ok, so what do you give to a man who already has everything? A woman to show him how to use it.