Christmas – the time of year when we collectively spend billions on the latest technology, and nobody blinks an eyelid when a major retailer sells a tablet computer every second of the working day.

Gadgets and shiny electrical kit are now popular gifts for all ages.

My personal relationship with technology at Christmas began in the early 1980s when my parents gave me my first electronic game, The Tomy Tronic 3D Sky Attack.

I remember playing this toy so much on Christmas Day and Boxing Day that my parents had to raid the battery drawer at my grandparent’s farm.

This was when most items took 28 days for delivery, shops closed for days at a time over Christmas, and Trowbridge had just one, near-mythical, ‘Seven Day Shop.’ Over the last few years, I find myself wanting to spend less time with all things digital over the festive period.

Given so much of my work and personal time is spent embracing technology, I do everything I can to push it aside for at least Christmas Day and Boxing Day – if only I was allowed.

Throughout December 25, the text messages wishing me a Merry Christmas are joined by increasingly desperate requests for technical support – or even the hope of helping out with a missing accessory, such is the reverence for my tech cupboard/junk yard.

If you have purchased a gadget or tech gift for a loved one this year, here are a few tips to save yourself from a Christmas catastrophe:

* Make sure you have the right batteries, leads or vouchers. These small bits can be the difference between a gift working and left to tease mercilessly.

* Don’t throw away the packaging until you know any new purchase is working.

* Read the instructions – there’s no shame in doing so 

* If you have purchased a video games console, make sure you have a second controller. It’s more fun playing than watching.

* Many of the ‘free’ games on tablet computers can end up incredibly expensive. Ensure you switch off ‘in-app’ purchases to save your wallet.

Hopefully these tips will help you and yours have a peaceful Christmas.