Dear LPG,

I wish that I had paid attention to this little hint to you before Christmas, but as they say it is never too late. 

I know that for many of us Christmas is a time to watch the youngsters get their presents, but I do get my share and, being a little tech savvy, my children love to get me electronic bits and bobs that will challenge my brain as I work out just how they are supposed to work.

This year, amongst other  Ithings, I was lucky enough to be given an electric screw driver, a Bluetooth earpiece and a mobile telephone power charger.  I was really excited to receive each and every one of them and opened them with serious enthusiasm as did everyone else on the day.  I am sure you know how it is if you have a few family members around when you are all opening your presents; wrapping paper flies arouand and piles of presents mount up all over the place.

Present opening was an event that ten members from three generations  of my family were part of this year.  No matter your age, it seems as if everything arrives with a charger and instructions which csome in 10 different languages, and there is one thing that you can almost guarantee.  Once you have managed to get the item out of the box for a quick look, getting it back in with all the appropriate instructions and accompanying parts can be a long-winded puzzle in itself, without the distraction of the next wrapped box that needs investigating.

After this year’s unwrapping euphoria, and when the excitement and visitors had gone, I found a little time to review my gifts only to find that some of the instructions did not have pictures or details which made it obvious which present they had arrived with, and there were also two chargers that were interchangeable when I tried to attach them to the items I had received.

The worry is that they give out wrong amounts of power if I use them the wrong way.  There was also a guarantee for one item which went into a lot of detail about ‘the product’ without specifying what ‘product’ was actually guaranteed.  I suppose that is what you get for shopping buying cheaper gifts online but, the real lesson I have learnt is the importance of making sure you know what bits came with which gadget. 

I feel the need to remind readers to be sure of what items come from which box, and I want to pass this little lesson onto you in the hope that when the hi-tech birthday presents and Christmas presents come your way again, you unbox just a little bit more carefully.

CP, New Cross .