Last minute stocking fillers for him: Best woolly presents for 2016

If you haven’t already finished your Christmas shopping by now, you’re probably praying for some last minute Yuletide miracles. But what form these little miracles should take is always up for debate; buying a random aftershave can be an odoriferous minefield if only because what smells fragrant to you may well smell foul to somebody else.

Instead, it’s probably best to stick to the basics and by this; I mean the fluffy woolly kind. It’s the hats, gloves, socks and scarves that are stocking-filler lifesavers during the final run up to Christmas, especially so when we live in a county where the winter weather is nothing if not harsh and unpredictable.

For a start, you can never have too many pairs of gloves; I now loose so many throughout winter that I’m seriously considering having my next pair stitched onto the cuffs of my coat. Which means that owning three or four pairs and having them on rotation should be a no-brainer. As for fingerless gloves, they’re an incredibly practical gift if you’re buying for anyone who is constantly glued to their smart phone; hands are kept warm while fingering dexterity remains intact.

A similar approach should also be taken when it comes to handing out the socks, so don’t feel guilty when you witness your nearest and dearest unwrap his sixth pair in as many hours. Rather, remind yourself that any gentleman worth his salt should be switching up his sock draw at least annually, throwing out the old and welcoming in the new. Socks as a last minute gift should be given with absolute abandon.

Hats and scarves are also seriously under-rated as festive gifts. After all, didn’t your mother always tell you that you lose most of your body heat through your head? Whether that’s true or not, it’s the ever-functional beanie hat that snazzy gents will want to find at the bottom of their stockings this year. Likewise, a brand new scarf can add some much needed swagger to your Christmas ho, ho, ho proving once and for all that warmth and style are not mutually exclusive.