It’s said that giving is better than receiving,

but the maxim has a flaw: it assumes that the giver and the receiver are never one and the same. We all know that generosity feels good, and there’s sound scientific basis for it: research shows that the act of giving activates the neural networks associated with pleasure – the same ones triggered by food or drugs – in a phenomenon known as the “helper’s high”. But that doesn’t mean you can’t help yourself. After all, receiving gifts feels pretty good, too, and no one is more familiar with your taste, habits and predilections than, well, you. Besides, you’ve had a tough few months and, as any good psychologist will attest, work is not its own reward. Self-care doesn’t come naturally to us all, however. So, if you can’t quite find it in you to love yourself, we’d advise cutting out the following pages and giving them to a relative with the relevant items clearly marked. You’ve been a very good boy this year, after all.