One of the perks of covering these summits used to be that the host country would put the show on at the most exotic location they could find and give you presents.

BBC: NEWS | Europe | Diary: EU crisis summit

Rather than buying more mass-produced stuff, many of us prefer to customize what we give as meaningfully unique presents, especially since it is increasingly easy to do so.

FORBES: Connect

Queen Victoria's under garments do sometimes come up for sale as she would give away her hosiery away as presents to people who worked for her.

BBC: Queen Victoria's stockings for sale in Leyburn auction

As children, our parents showered us with Christmas presents even though all we had to give in return was a glitter-covered macaroni ornament.

FORBES: How I Blew $1,000 and Ruined Christmas: 3 Lessons on Giving Gifts

Virtual tschotskes beckon: Instead of selling generic virtual "gifts" like Facebook does, later this autumn Bianchini aims to give users the ability to design their own virtual presents and sell those (vampire love-bites, anyone?).

FORBES: The Social Web

This presents an excellent opportunity for us players to give our bodies a rest and recover from the niggles and knocks that we inevitably pick up over the course of the season.

BBC: Geoff Griffiths column

The next election presents a new challenge and I believe that meeting it, could and should give us an even greater sense of achievement.

BBC: News | UK Politics | Margaret McDonagh's speech