Christmas ideas galore at Birmingham NEC's Festive Gift Fair

And, despite it only being mid-November, you can finally get yourself into the Christmas spirit.

For many, the annual fair, which ends today, marks the start of the countdown to December 25.

Packed into one hall at the NEC in Birmingham, you can find hundreds of stalls with present ideas for all your family and friends (plus a treat or two for you). Stalls are also packed with festive home decor - ready to make sure your humble abode is ready for the most wonderful time of the year.

Everywhere you turn at the Festive Gift Fair there is a sea of Christmas jumpers and T-shirts, outfits and accessories - to make sure you are truly decked out in the seasonal attire.

You will feel like you are in a winter wonderland as singers and bands entertain you with Christmas tunes, while there are also appearances from Father Christmas, a giant snowman, a pantomime dame and the Grinch.

There is a vast amount of goods on offer, from party games to children's toys, candles to toiletries, beauty items to gifts for your pets, clothing to home decorations.

Plenty of food and drink was on offer, with stalls happy to let you try before you buy - including savouries, sweets, cheeses, meats and alcohol (including every flavour of gin you can think of).

The Festive Gift Fair can get rather busy, particularly on a weekend, so prepare for a mad rush and queues walking around the aisles. By 11am, the aisles were very busy and it was difficult to navigate your way around the many stalls.

The only negative of the trip to the NEC - be prepared to pay an extra £16 for parking if travelling by car on top of your tickets and whatever you choose to spend on the day. We chose to travel by car, due to train strikes on the day - but thought the car parking charge was slightly over the top.

At the end of the day I returned home with plenty of goodies for myself, as well as the odd present or two for friends and family.

But the Festive Gift Fair is the perfect way to start your countdown to the Christmas season and get yourself in the seasonal mood.