YOU knew it was high summer when the Christmas crackers appeared in Tesco and the mince pies in Marks & Spencer.

And now - sorry - we are going to start talking about Christmas too. But there's a good reason. If you want to make each Christmas present work twice as hard and it IS Christmas after all), then it makes sense to buy from charity catalogues.

And it makes even more sense as the catalogues have some of the most interesting and unusual presents. And you don't have to move from your chair. Which has to be worth a lot.

FOR CHILDREN

FOOTBALL-mad tinies will like the musical football slippers (bet they will have driven you mad by Boxing Day), £5.99, or a football-shaped puzzle, £3.99 (Great Ormond Street Hospital and others)... Tempt them to eat boiled eggs with fun animal egg cups, £11.99 for four (Arthritis Research and others)... a sweatshirt with a digger plus sound effects (perhaps not for the same child as those slippers), £17.99 (RSPCA). You can get a personalised Noah's Ark chair, £19.99 (Cancer Research). Soft scarves that smell of strawberries or bubble gum £9.99 (Aspire). Or the Anthony Nolan Trust Catalogue has a particularly good selection of toys, ranging from puzzles and puppets, a foolish mini-basketball net that you wear on your head,£7.99, or some rather fetching butterfly wings, £11.50.

FOR MEN

HOW about buying them an E type? Well, ok, it's only a model, £25.99 (British Heart foundation). Or maybe a Merc, £12.99 (Cancer Research)...bone china fishing or golf mugs, £4.99 (Leukaemia Research)... miniature bowling alley, £12.99 (Leukaemia Research)... A selection of Christmas Ales (Wateraid and others). The Aviation catalogue, supporting the RAF Benevolent Fund is packed full of boys' toys - books, paintings, videos, even teatowels all about bombers. RAF-crested whisky glasses, £27.50 for two, an aeroplane teapot, £19.95, or a Biggles bear, £4.95. Or you can treat someone to a trip in a balloon, a Tiger Moth or an aerobatic plane (Avia Special, tel: 0870 800 4440)... Meanwhile, if you're all at sea, you can't do better than Watermark, the catalogue of the RNLI, with all sorts of maritime treats.

FOOD

MASSES of treats in every catalogue. Ranging from chocolate hedgehogs, £5.99 (Great Ormond St and others) through honeyed fruits, £8.99, to port and cheeseboard sets, £14.99. Chocolate fondue sets, £12.99 (RSPCA and others)... chocolate ginger, £6.99 (Muscular Dystrophy)... or, if you're going to cook as well as eat, selections of spices from Cancer Research - Thai Lover's Box or Chilli Lover's Box, £13.99

HOUSE AND HOME

FEELING festive? Then opt for a fibre optic tree arch for round the door, £99.99 (Great Ormond Street), or maybe better collapse in a hammock instead, £69.50 (Amnesty ). Bring some festive spirit into your drinking with bottle opener that plays Jingle Bells, £3.99 (Arthritis Research and others)... Make more room for Christmas drinks with a folding wooden trolley, £39.99 (Watermark). And put your pets in a different league with some exceedingly smart designer feeding bowls, £19.99 (RSPCA).

PERSONALISED

YOU can get your name on anything these days... fishing or golf towel £5.99 (Barnardos)... Malt whisky gift set, £19.99. Even get your picture on a night shirt, £19.99, a calendar, £21.99, or notecards, £9.99.

BEYOND CATEGORIES

WELL, difficult to know just where to put the latex washing up gloves, complete with false fur trim and a sparkly ring, £6.99 (Save the Children fund and others)... a blood pressure monitor for hypochondriacs, £89.99 (Watermark)... models of Captain Cook's ship the Endeavour, £59.99 (Watermark), £29.99 and £12.99 from Barnardos)... Trace Your Ancestors Kit, £123.99 (British Heart Foundation)...silk and wool pashminas, £70 (Leprosy Mission)... a tea towel with the shipping forecast areas, £3.99 (Aspire)... great selection of Norfolk Lavender (Arthritis Research)... silver jewellery from the Tear Fund .

And when you've bought it all, some of the nicest wrapping paper from the RSPB.

ADDRESSES

ANTHONY NOLAN TRUST. Tel: 020 7284 8243.

BARNARDOS. Paycoke Rd, Basildon, Essex SS14 3DR. Tel. 0870 603 9090. www.barnardos.org.uk/shop

BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION PO Box 52, Burton on Tent DE14 3LQ. Tel. 0870 606 6325. www.bhfcatalogue.co.uk

GREAT ORMOND STREET CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL. PO Box 55, Burton on Trent, DE14 3LQ. Tel: 0870 606 6332. www.goshshop.co.uk

LEPROSY MISSION. Freepost ANG 3088, PO Box 212, Peterborough PE2 5BR. Tel: 01733 239252,

LEUKAEMIA RESEARCH. Yorke Road, Croxley Green, Rickmansworth WD3 3TP. Tel: 01923 779181. Htttp://websell.pipex.com.lrfshop

RSPBP Box 54, Burton on Trent DE14 3LQ. Tel: 0870 606 6333. www.rspshop.co.uk

RSPCA. PO Box 47, Burton on Trent DE14 3LQ. Tel: 0870 606 6305. www.rspcashop.co.uk

SAVE THE CHILDREN FUND. PO Box 40, Burton on Trent, DE14 3LQ. Tel: 0870 606 6300. www.scfshop.co.uk

TEARCRAFT. PO Box 5050, Annesley, Nottingham NG15 ODL. Tel:0870 240 4896. www.tearfund.org.uk

WATERMARK. RNLI Sales, Freepost, BH1654 Poole, Dorset BH15 1ZZ. Tel: 0870 6001824. www.lifeboats.orh.uk

These are just the trading addresses for the charities. For their main work, please use their usual addresses.

With great thanks, as always, to Harry Bilton of Witton Gilbert who keeps us supplied with all these catalogues. More details and more addresses in the coming weeks.