Over the Christmas period, many readers will have faced the challenge of having to respond graciously after unwrapping a truly hideous present, such as a reindeer-emblazoned jumper from the in-laws. But how to respond when one cannot even tell what the item actually is? This dilemma was apparently faced by clients who received a Christmas gift thoughtfully sent by Tunbridge Wells firm Loch Associates. The firm received several calls from lucky recipients who were rather confused as to the nature of the offering. So, post-Noël, a representative from the firm called the list of clients and contacts (as well as Obiter Towers) to explain that the item was not, as many believed, a luggage tag, but was in fact a memory stick. Still, it’s the thought that counts.

Keeping to a Christmas theme, a survey by Demon Broadband has suggested that the legal profession found it very difficult to ‘switch off’ during the Christmas break, with eight out of 10 lawyers owning up to doing something work-related, be it checking emails or logging on to their firm’s IT system. Intrigued, this got Obiter wondering how many solicitors sneaked away from their cherubic children and delightful in-laws to check the Gazette’s own website on 25 December? Some 588 unique users visited the site, we discovered. Goodness, it must be compelling.