A few years ago I headed to the West End wearing a heart rate monitor to write about the stress of Christmas shopping.
A study had found that some people’s heart rates soar by 33% as they battle the crowds, equal to running a marathon.
Others develop an abnormal heart rhythm from the pressure.
I never found out how my ticker performed though. Because the monitor went haywire as I braved Hamleys toy store – the ninth circle of hell for jingle-tills phobics like me.
Most people think shopping for gifts is the toughest part of Christmas.
But stress levels will hit new highs this year as hard-up people fret about paying for presents when they’re struggling with heating bills.
So it’s no surprise that charity shops are reporting a surge in business as people seek out cheaper gifts and strive to act more sustainably.
I’m doing that with my family and friends. We’ve set a price limit and all gifts must be second hand or recycled.
And, I have to say, I’m really enjoying Christmas shopping this year.
I’ve found some fab presents and can’t wait to see my loved ones’ faces when we open them together. And if they’re not “just what I always wanted”, they can re-gift or give them back to charity.
It got me pondering the whole point of pressies, and I discovered two other fascinating bits of research.
In 2002 US scientists found that giving gifts helps you live longer. Older people who did so reduced their risk of dying by nearly 60% over a five-year period.
And in 2017 German scientists discovered we are hard-wired to give. Because scans showed it stimulates two different areas of the brain which together promote feelings of social connection, satisfaction and joy.
You don’t even need to see your recipient to get the well-being boost.
So, if you can afford it, why not give to a food-bank or toy collection scheme too?
It doesn’t need to be much.
As the science shows, it really is the thought that counts.
But you just might make this difficult Christmas a little less stressful for somebody worse off than you.
Dambuster blows up Sussexes' 'truth bomb'
I started watching the Sussexes’ Netflix moan-fest on Thursday.
But I had to press the pause button when Harry claimed he and Meghan had “sacrificed everything” in their pursuit of freedom.
Because I’d just heard the sad news that the last of the Dambusters, George “Johnny” Johnson, had died at the age of 101.
And the modest Second World War hero knew more about the real meaning of sacrifice than the selfish Sussexes ever will. He could also teach them a thing or two about duty, service and gratitude.
Johnny was a bomb aimer with the RAF’s legendary 617 Squadron which destroyed crucial German dams with bouncing bombs in 1943. But as the raid claimed the lives of 53 members of Bomber Command, Johnny vowed to live HIS to the full in tribute to their sacrifice.
“I’ve had a very lucky life in every respect,” he said: “I felt honoured to have had the chance to take part.”
So while Harry and Meghan continue with their £88million “truth bomb” mission I’m still pausing to reflect.
On Johnny’s life and on his comrades who made the ultimate sacrifice in pursuit of OUR freedom.
