Christmas shopping etiquette.

We hit the shops today and it wasn't as bad as expected. Now I've got an insanely cheerful Christmas song stuck in my head and keep teeth-whistling it.

But here are two things that you shouldn't do when you're shopping for presents - (guess which shopping faux-pas I'm guilty of):

Don't make a phonecall about your present-buying progress inside a tiny crowded shop thus blocking access to half the merchandise for other customers. And no, I didn't want to know that you've already found something for person X, but are now discussing getting Y for person Z.

So, you've finally found the perfect matching hat and scarf for the boyfriend's mother. Don't decide to buy it in a different shop, because the queues at the one you're in are too long. You won't be able to find said items anywhere else, even though the brand is ubiquituous, and you'll have to return to that first place again.