Dear Carla,

As the winter months close in I find myself constantly reaching for bigger and bigger mugs of tea. When once a bone china cup would suffice, now I am reliant on mugs twice as big as my hand for sustinance.

With this in mind I rather feel that your mother would benefit from a warming Afternoon Tea for two. Considering your location my personal choice would be a Tea at Harrods for Two, which I can warmly recommend for the delightful silver service and exceptional range of tea.

Our Orient Express journeys happen to be incredibly decadent day trips departing from London, making them ideal as a treat for you and your mother. I took Mr Annabella on a steam train trip last year, for a reminiscent voyage into the Shropshire hills. It all went extremely well until Mr Annabella discovered that he had left his camera at home and proceeded to sketch the passing countryside (very badly) on our luxury napkins.

If you’re looking to get your mum a traditional christmas gift you might consider a large box of Thorntons chocolates. They slip down nicely with the occasional glass of traditional Christmas cheer.

Finally, Name a Rose is a truly thoughtful personalised gift she will treasure for years to come.

And now my dear, I must get back to assisting the office with organising their secret santa, they really are disorganised. I am considering throwing their “efforts” into the bin and substituting them with my own, superior, secret santa gifts.

Best, Annabella

Dear Sylvia

Alas! My dear I am afraid that you are correct in thinking that the theatre tour and dinner has been taken down. This is because Drury Lane are currently having a rejig before Oliver! begins - a delightful show wouldn’t you agree? They are busy flinging sets around and making a terrible mess, so I rather fear your friends would find their tour quite hazardous at this point.

We do hope to re-instate the tour after the dust has settled and Oliver! is in full swing, but I’m afraid I can’t say exactly when this will be. Might you consider a Theatre and Dinner for Two package instead? For around the same price your friends can enjoy an exciting evening out at a show of their choice - I remember the thrill of the stage from days gone by, the face paint, the costumes… but that is quite another story.

Do let me know if you require any other assistance, a friendly emailification over tea perhaps.

Best, Annabella

Dear Lauren,

My advice when it comes to leaving presents depends on the size and personality of your office and, of course, on your budget. Are they a sociable lot? Our office is very cheery indeed, the only thing missing is common sense when it comes to selecting tea.

Sweetie hampers make good leaving presents as they’re great for sharing, the Big Kids Sweetie Hamper is particularly fun.

If you’re looking to leave a lasting impression with your gift then a Mirror Spoof Newspaper Presentation Pack can be customised with funny office-related stories, perhaps a series of tea-related mishaps due to a horrific misordering problem? There’s two copies included in the price so this gift makes a memento for you as well.

Finally, for a fun gift, why not Adopt a Penguin on behalf of the office? They’ll get regular news on how the cuddly chap is getting along and a rather attractive gift pack as well.

Do let me know how you get on with your gift selection,

Annabella

Dear Julie,

Men can be so hard to buy Christmas gifts for can’t they? Especially ones with an artistic temperament. Mr Annabella was most infuriating during the months he spent painting - I called this time his ‘blue period’, mainly because he refused to wear anything other than jeans.

As a man who has it all your husband is truly in an enviable position, perhaps he may feel a sense of self worth in giving something back by recieving one of our splendid Oxfam Unwrapped charity gifts? These gifts help people to gain healtier and longer lives, all without interrupting his band practice. An important thing for musicians, goodness does my grandson get agitated if you interrupt him playing the flute.

Conveniently, with Oxfam Unwrapped it doesn’t matter that you neglected to provide a price range for your husband’s christmas gift, as their charity gifts range from £20 to £125 so I am sure there will be one to suit.

Do let me know which you choose, personally I like the look of Protect the Forest, brings back memories of pleasant family walks in the woods of a Sunday afternoon.

Best, Annabella.

Dear Mr Steel,

You are to be commended for considering your mother-in-law’s 70th birthday gift so intently. Not all children-in-law possess your level of insight; last year Mr Annabella and I were given a his-and-hers flannel slipper and dressing gown combo.

The Antipodeans call a collection of life stories and memorabilia a Glory Box, and yours should take the form of a small trunk or crafty collage book containing paraphernalia pertaining to her life.

Contact Ella’s friends and family and ask them to record their recollections, perhaps on a nice sheet of floral paper, in a drawing or poem.I suggest you complete this thoughtful gift with a Personalised Newspaper from her year of birth, or a My House History Portfolio.

Surprise Ella with her ideal family day out, whether this happens to be a trip on the Orient Express steam train spent pondering the decades of yesteryear whilst the english countryside slips by, or indulging in a delicious Afternoon Tea at a charming Country House hotel.

When Ella is comfortably settled and on her second cup of Earl Grey tea, present her with the glory box for a tremendous trip down memory lane.

I do hope you enjoyed your 50th birthday present, perhaps post a customer review and let me know how you got on.

Best, Annabella

Dear Jacobina,

I can’t remember the last time a congenial customer (let alone Mr Annabella…) bestowed upon me their love and kisses. Most customers take my gift advice and run, without a single enquiry after my tea strainer.

As you are such a polite person I have emailed you a £5 discount code to put towards your purchase. I feel that politeness should always be rewarded. That, and willingness to make me a cup of tea.

On to the offers: currently we have a special offer on Harness sphereing for two, which costs just under £50, your ideal spend.

There are several other adrenaline activities and driving days in your price range you might like to consider. Your colleague is sure to enjoy a diverting Single Seater Experience, now £75, or if you want to push the boat out a bit then I know that the Spy Academy is a big hit with the excitement-minded.

You mentioned wanting to get him a gift to keep for roughly the same amount, may I suggest a nice bottle of Hatton Brut Champagne? I find it slips down quite nicely of an afternoon while Mr Annabella potters around in his shed.

Do let me know how you get on.

Best,

Annabella

Dear Nick,

When I first received your letter I was rather confused: skips are, generally speaking, extremely large, yellow, metal objects. As they are so big and so yellow I have always found them rather easy to spot and avoid. Perhaps, I thought to myself, your time would be better spent berating your local optician?

On the other hand, if it was a packet of Skips (the delicious prawn cocktail flavour crisps that my nephew seems so fond of) that caused your unfortunate prang then the inventor is United Biscuits. As luck would have it they have a special Skips helpline available at 0800 015 0561 and they may be responsive to your plight.

Perhaps you should skip the driving experiences and go for the relaxing Mens Treatments instead?

Factually yours,

Annabella

P.S. The modern skip you may have had trouble with was patented by Bennes Marrel in 1964 and was originally called the Marrel Bucket Unit. Or was it Bobby Moore?…

Dear “Yaw”,

As you declined to mention your gender, location or age I am inclined to offer generic gift ideas. For all I know your mother could be 85 or 35.

Whilst I by no means intend to tar all mothers with the same brush, women in general appreciate the gift of flowers. Select one of our best selling flowers bouqets, only make sure that she is at home on the specified delivery date, or an eagle-eyed neighbour may swoop in on your generosity.

As far as other suitable gifts go, it is difficult to know what to suggest without knowing her particular tastes, but perhaps she will be unafraid of trying our highly adventurous Tank Battle Paintballing - admittedly, this would have some ladies quivering in their sensible shoes, but who knows? It could afford her some perm-raising fun.

Bemusedly, Annabella

Dear Vicky,

As it is his 18th birthday I forgive your young man for requiring a present and suggest that you purchase him a gift experience, which takes up no valuable living room space and does not require frequent dusting.

My advice to you, Miss Victoria, is to play it smart and procure a gift experience for two - that way you get to enjoy the day as well. Just because he’s the birthday boy doesn’t mean he should have all the fun.

As luck would have it, buyagift currently have a selection of special offers available perfect for a rebellious gentleman and partner. He might enjoy a session at Go Ape! and having a high wire forest adventure, which is currently 40% off for two people or maybe rolling down a hill in a giant inflatable ball in Harness Sphereing for Two.

I’m told both are more fun than even a nice cream tea and a bit of a sit down (which I find hard to believe).

On a side note, I find the best way to reign in a rebellious suitor is to withhold their dinner.

Best, Annabella

Dear Joseph,

I am wholly in favour of young men treating their mothers to the odd gift every now and again, indeed I have directed my own sons to the buyagift website many times, but sadly have yet to receive a single bouquet.

The perfect gift for a deserving mother is undoubtedly a health spa day with plenty of beauty treatments. Our Champneys Spa Day includes a splendid massage from a well built young man (I recommend Sven) and a facial smoothing procedure, both of which she should enjoy immensely.

Best, Annabella