The festive season’s in full swing and I’ve been doing my Christmas shopping. My tics add an extra layer of complexity to this, but it’s not because I have trouble getting to the shops – online shopping sorts that out – nor is it to do with actually getting the gifts – it’s about keeping them secret!

In the past I’ve always loved choosing just the right gift for each person, but many surprises have been ruined by my tics involuntarily telling people what I’ve got for them – sometimes months before the big day.

My solution for the last few years has been to buy the right number of presents, but not to decide who gets what until the last minute – if I don’t know what I’m giving someone my tics can’t give the game away.

This has worked quite well up until recently but now there’s yet another challenge, and this one I can’t blame on Tourettes. This time it’s related to my increasingly poor short-term memory (which was never great). I keep buying gifts online and then forgetting what I’ve ordered.

Deliveries keep arriving at the castle and I have no idea what’s inside the packages. Innes has taken to playing a game with me called, ‘What’s in the box?” She sings the phrase ‘What’s in the box?” while I try to remember, or guess, what’s inside.

This is making us both laugh, and for me unwrapping packages with a sense of anticipation makes it feel a bit like Christmas every day.