The best present I received this Christmas was a year's subscription to The Spectator. Magazines make great gifts because they're repeated throughout the year (52 times in the case of the Speccie.) And the Speccie is that rare magazine that can improve my mood. Following the High Life columnist in the back is the Low Life columnist - which tells you all you need to know about its editorial spirit.
I also learn things in every issue, and not just about British politics. A recent article in the Arts pages about the classic Coca-Cola bottle informed me that the name of my country's most famous export came from the coca leaf (which I knew) and the kola nut (which I didn't). And that the bottle was designed to mimic the shape of said nut. "What knows he of America," to paraphrase Kipling, "who only American publications reads?"
