The power of a simple present

And thanks to the charity Samaritan’s Purse and its annual Operation Christmas Child campaign, more than 100 million underprivileged youngsters worldwide have experienced this simple pleasure in the past two decades.

Charity boss Simon Barrington said: “Times are tough in the UK but there are children living in refugee camps and orphanges, who have nobody to care for them and who’ve never received a gift in their whole life.

“So once again we’re asking people to be generous.”

Samaritan’s Purse Bedfordshire regional manager Martin Shotbolt is appealing for volunteers.

“There are lots of ways to get involved,” he said. “Individuals and organisations can wrap and pack boxes with gifts, they can collect shoeboxes from designated drop-off centres and they also help check and seal the boxes before they’re sent off to their destination.”

> For details visit www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk