You've bought presents before and you will have received them. Some you would have given and cringed as they opened your last minute rushed effort or the annual gloves and hankies fall out once again. Likewise when on the receiving end you will have had times when you heart saddened slightly as auntie June gave you that dark chocolate bar you don't like and you wish you hadn't of been so pleased about it when you got it for your last birthday.

We want everyone to be able to pick great gifts, and that does not mean expensive gifts, for their friends and family. 2009 especially has been a tough year around the world. Credit crunch, housing collapse, wage cuts and job losses. Not a great start to merry Christmas and all the more pressure on us to get our presents right and not just throw money down the drain.

Although these pages specialise in presents for men the basic principle )and some of the present ides for that matter) can be perfect for anyone). We are all different and we like different tings so try and avoid the bubble baths, deodorant, socks and gloves of yesteryear and come up with some innovative and new ideas for your presents.

Starting here will have some great ideas and some help on what NOT to do this christmas

I'm not knocking Ebay here by the way. In fact my life would be more difficult and less enjoyable if it wasn't for the online auction giant. The fact is you can find inappropriate presents anywhere but I reviewed all these for sale on Ebay at the time of writing this article.

Of course any present can be inappropriate if given to the wrong person or at the wrong time or for the wrong occasion. Many's the time I regret giving Auntie Mavis the barbecue set so soon after Uncle Victors cremation. Some presents however are pretty much inappropriate all the time and I don't mean the tie and socks you get for your Dad every Christmas.

Truth is I could have made the list the top 20 inappropriate presents but I decided to keep the article clean so as not alienate the under 16's and upset the parents. Just to clarify I mean inappropriate in that it is likely to either upset the receiver or get the giver into more trouble than would be healthy for them. OK here goes:

No.1 A simple book marker with the words “never poke mad people with a pointy stick”. Possibly good advice but in today's understanding society, care in the community and opportunity and equality for all regardless of their abilities it just might go down like the proverbial lead balloon.

No.2 Grow your own boyfriend/girlfriend. A perfect gift for any of your friends that lack social skills or are in awe of the opposite sex or who are just plain ugly and can't manage to find a partner of their own. I am sure they will really see the humour in your gift

No.3. Likewise any of your friends in No.2 or perhaps a work colleague or friend who have just been fired or laid off or maybe even divorced. How about a DIY voodoo doll. Comes complete with pen so you can make it look like you Boss or ex girlfriend/husband whoever.

No.4 One of my favourites, the coughing ash tray. A must for all your friends and family who smoke. The will have hours of fun and laughter listening to the lung hacking coughs coming from the ashtray every time they set down their cigarettes.

No.5 One for a 70^th birthday. Made in 1939 tee-shirt. A plain white tee-shirt with “Made In 1939 emblazoned across the front”. What 70 year old wouldn't be proud to wear such a fashionable reminder of their ageing status.

No.6 Likewise any overweight wife or girlfriend could only be thankful for your caring, non-judgemental and sympathetic love when they open up their novelty diet kit. What delight when they find it contains a broken knife, a fork with no prongs and as spoon with a hole in it.

No.7 The ultimate gadget for the man about town. For our modern man who isn't afraid to show his feminine side what better than than a “gaydar key ring”. This natty little electronic device can apparently detect if anyone is gay, straight or undecided.The lights didn't seem to work on mine so I'm not sure what that mean't.

No.8 A virgin experience day. OK, this one shouldn't really be in the list but I misconstrued the title. I didn't know that Richard Branson's company was now offering experience days. It actually turned out to be a days clay pigeon shooting. Still you might want to think twice before buying one for your more timid and less 'experienced' friends as it can be a shock when you first open the envelope.

No.9 After all we should not forget that the true meaning of Christmas is the religious story so what more perfect than an extra-large laughing Buddha monk Christmas gift. Though quite how Buddhists might view the slaughter of millions of Christmas turkey's I'm not sure. But then it is Christmas!

No.10 My final choice and this comes with an up front apology. A “lacy thong”. Whether sexy underwear is an appropriate gift at all is a debate but when I noticed these were UK size 32 ( for those European and US readers, I think size 12-14 is about average in the UK) it rang alarm bells. Men are notorious for getting their wives and girlfriends sizes wrong and this offers an opportunity to mess things up big style.

So whatever presents you are buying this Christmas please, please give them some thought. It's not hard to buy thoughtful and personal gifts that will be loved. That love will come right onto you too. Make their Chritmas a happy one and yours will be a great one. For some teriffic Mens Gift Ideas click this link and take a look at this website