Do not adjust your screens! That IS a frying pan you see before you.

It arrived sometime in September, on the same day as my weekly Grazia magazine subscription, a letter from EDF (reminding me to upgrade to their smart meters) and a new luxury skincare product worth over £60.

Fast forward to present day.

The EDF letter is now buried somewhere under a pile of post (standard, innit) whilst Grazia has been added to a growing stack of unopened, unread magazine subscriptions.

The caviar infused face mask is gathering dust by my bedside.

Once I’ve taken off my make-up, read the same line of the same book – that’s also gathering dust by my bedside – I’m ‘snoring my face off’. (Mr Husband’s words. Not mine because I. don’t .snore. ever!)

It’s frickin’ amazing and has been used nearly every other day since September! True story!

When it was sent as a gift from Debenhams – part of their The Body Coach, Joe Wicks range in store now – I thought it’d make a nice contender for the Christmas gift guide that I was cooking up for my blog (soz. Pun intended!)

Which then made me muse on presents I’ve poo poo’d in the past – which had as much glamour as the knickers I insist on keeping for when I’m on the blob (C’mon! We all do this, right?)

Take my Singer Steam Press as an example. It’s an ugly beast of equipment and was a Christmas gift from my in-laws a couple of years ago.

In an ideal world, I’d love for everything to be ironed – and this monster makes the job so much easier!

I think my PB has been to whip through a stack of bed sheets, pillow cases and school-uniform-shizz in just one episode of Grace & Frankie! (That’s 30 minutes for all you non-viewers. It’s on Netflix. Go watch. So funny!)

Then, there’s the cordless V7 Total Clean Dyson. Best 16 minutes of frenzy on full turbo and it’s loads prettier to look at compared to the iron press!

But still, hardly a sexy gift, innit – unless you’re doing weird shit with yours! Ha!

In fact, I should be earning commissioning on it considering how many people I’ve convinced to buy it – they’ve never looked back and we all wang on proudly about its merits like a right bunch of saddos!

So you see, my point is although these gifts might not look as pretty as a bright yellow, leather Smythson notebook, if you’re anything like me, while the latter are truly beautiful, truth be told, I hardly end up using them!

Instead, I admire them and save them for best; for when I find a really nice fountain pen or something purposeful to write in it – what that is exactly, I have no idea!

I’ve stacked up about five of these luxury notepads now. Love them all, dearly. Adored receiving each and every one of them. But honestly, I’ve used one so far.

I’ve been gifted at Christmas a Brita Water Filter Jug and a knife sharpener – both from Mr Husband (and while I don’t think the latter was a metaphor for anything) in his defence, your honour, he did also buy me ‘pretty’ gifts, too.

Which is where I think the balance lies.

And if you’re reading this Mr Husband, before you think it’s OK to buy me a slow cooker this Christmas (I do actually want one and we will end up using it loads!) don’t forget I’ll always appreciate a pretty present, too…

I just might not use it as much as the slow cooker.

What about you?

How do you stand when it comes to receiving practical vs pretty gifts? Which do you prefer and why? Scroll down to comment, I’d love to know what you think.

Ooh! Talking of pretty gifts, I’ve added another gift guide on here, too.

Click here to browse 50 gifts for under £50

Happy hinting – I mean shopping! *wink

Right. I’m off to write my bestselling book in my Smythson now! *Who am I kidding? Takes the frying pan out of the dishwasher and deliberates on what to cook for dinner…

Thanks for reading