After buying Champagne for breakfast, salmon bininies for whenever no one's looking, more sides than your table is physically capable of and so many presents you're surprised your wallet is still holding together, you realise to your horror that you've forgotten the Christmas stockings. Those little bastards that require an average of 22 gifts each, according to new research from Latest Free Stuff.
And it's not surprising that you might forget a stocking because the same study revealed that 77% would prefer to spend their money on a single, bigger present for under the tree. Let's admit it, stockings are designed for lots of mediocre gifts that cost more than they're worth: Tangerine anyone?
But what if you could give cool gifts: Gym passes, music download vouchers, aftershave, magazines, anti-wrinkle cream (OK, maybe not so cool; yet definitely desirable), all for free?
Deepak Tailor, CEO of Latest Free Stuff, explains "People are feeling the pinch this Christmas because of the recession. Instead of buying gifts for stockings, they're saving their money and concentrating on the bigger gifts under the tree. But what many don't know is that a whole range of companies give thousands of samples away for free; small gifts, perfect for stocking fillers. We put all of these freebies in one place, making it easy for people to find what they want and fill stockings again."
It almost sounds too good to be true. Since launching in 'beta' just a few months ago, the website is already clocking up over 165,000 monthly visitors and giving out 30,000 free products every month. Today, it launches officially to the public, as the one stop shop for all Christmas stocking gifts.