Mum has about ten elephants at her place. There's a big brass Ganesha and a stone water feature Ganesh too, and various other elephants she's been gifted over the years.

'I made the mistake of saying I liked elephant' she said daily. 'Please don't buy me elephants.

I made the same error saying I liked hares to my sister in law and mother in law. Hares would feature on everything - greeting cards, fridge magnets, calenders. I was totally hared out.

Now it seems everyone has switched to mushrooms. I got a little mushroom foraging book I didn't need and a calendar I won't use. I'm really not a fan of this kind of gifting, though there's a sweet thought behind it. It's how you end up with a lot of tat you don't need.

I'd rather no gifts at all, to be honest.

But my son got me these enamel mushroom mugs which I adore. They are perfect for travelling as they are unbreakable, and they are also huge - great for cold drinks. I don't like drinking coffee out of enamel mugs but wine or bubbly water, yes! He also got me some homemade peach and habanero chilli sauce. Boy knows me too well.

The upshot is yes, you can have too many mushroom themed gifts, like you can end up with too many elephants or hares.

But sometimes, people just nail it, don't you think?