Mary Killen Mary Killen

Your Problems Solved | 4 January 2003

Etiquette advice from The Spectator's Miss Manners

issue 04 January 2003

Dear Mary…

Q. A couple of years ago you advised readers to minimise present-buying stress at Christmas by finding something that would be acceptable to people of all age ranges and simply buying up said item in bulk. This year I took your advice and feel I must share with readers the great success that I enjoyed with my bulk purchase of butler’s trays from IKEA. These trays are deep and come in painted-white-wood effect with fold-up stand. They were received with delight by both adults – who saw them as ideal bedroom accessories – and children who used them to provide surfaces to play on and to contain little messes of small plastic toys. At the end of the day, said messes can be lifted up wholesale to the child’s bedroom; all this for only £17 a tray.
F.W., London W8

A.

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