AFTER recounting the sad tale of a wife who longed for a leather jacket but whose husband bought her a pillow, we asked: is this the worst Christmas present ever?

The answer is a resounding no.

A colleague tells us the sorry story of unwrapping the large parcel placed under the tree to find - a home brew kit.

Now you can't fault her chap for enterprise. Laying out a few quid in December, he receives free beer for the rest of the year. Or so he hoped. It didn't quite work out like that.

But if you think that's bad, consider reader Jan Stead's experiences.

"Reading your Diary about the worst pressies ever, the two that stick in my mind are: many years ago my late father (bless him) bought my mother a coal bucket, as he thought she needed a new one.

"And my ex-husband bought me a Toby jug (yuk!!)."

That must be the sorriest Christmas gift of all. Unless you know better (or worse)...

SOME stores are trying to bamboozle exhausted shoppers with illusory bargains. Spotted in the Foss Bank branch of DIY chain Homebase were some pots with bright yellow stickers revealing their price had crashed from £7 - to £6.99.

A much more satisfying deal can be had from the York Brewery shop, in Stonegate, where bottles of its Christmas beer Stocking Filler are on sale for £1.50. Just the thing for the woman who has everything, including a home brew kit.

IT'S all happening over at York's Barbican Centre (for once). Some sort of snooker competition is going on there, the Diary has learned.

BBC TV viewers saw our photographer Mike Tipping almost hit by the cue ball, after Mark Williams attempted to launch it into space yesterday.

An accident, or something more sinister? Only an hour earlier Mike had very nearly scored a free lunch off Willie Thorne. Taking a break from the commentary box, Willie had popped into Jenny's Kitchen, in Walmgate, York, for lunch.

He'd left a tenner on the counter and the assistant thought this was our lensman's money. Then the mix-up was spotted.

So did Williams whack the ball at Mike by accident? Or did Thorne put him up to it?

LEE Evans's latest live DVD is in the top ten bestsellers, higher than any other comedian's. Why? Some might say it is because he is a hugely talented funnyman, but surely it has more to do with this man. Yep, it is York's own Eddie Vee, one of a dozen Elvisalikes engaged for a Presley tribute at the end of the show.

He is pictured performing in front of a total of 20,000 people during Evans' two-night show at the Cardiff International Arena.

You can even see Eddie's extremities on the DVD sleeve. The rest of him is obscured by Evans himself. Limelight hogger.

Updated: 09:00 Tuesday, December 13, 2005