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“Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it;
But we hae meat, and we can eat,
And sae let the Lord be thankit.”

Scottish person.

With those words, the Burns Night Supper is started. It may surprise you to know that I, Murray Stuart Dougall, am a Scottish person. With that in mind, Gadget HQ have asked me to teach you all a wee bit aboot Burns night and whit it entails.

Scottish persons.

As you already ken, Rabbie Burns is the greatest Scottish poet o’ all time, an’ so on the 25^th o’ January every year we hae a big feast in honour o’ his memory. First, the host gives a big speech welcoming one an’ all tae the dinner, which is followed by the Selkirk Grace from the start of the column an’ a starter course that’s usually scotch broth.

Then it’s time for the big yin, the haggis is rolled in an’ the host delivers “Address tae a Haggis”, Burns’ ode to the traditional Scottish dish. I know most non-Scots are squeamish when it comes tae eatin’ haggis, but if you try one new thing this year make sure it’s haggis, it’s honestly one o’ the greatest foods in the world.

After the main course it’s speech time, beginnin’ with a memorial tae Rabbie Burns and then going into the toast to the lassies and the toast to the laddies. Efter this there’s some recitals of Burns’ work, and then we come tae the end o’ the evening. In 1997 when I wis jist 9 years old, my dear mother had taken me an’ ma brither tae Crown Court Church of Scotland fir the big night, an’ at the behest o’ ma elders I stood up an’ sang Flower Of Scotland tae finish off the speeches before the traditional communal singing of Auld Lang Syne.

Burns Night Supper.

An’ that, ye wee Sassenachs, is a Rabbie Burns Night Supper!

T’was two months before Christmas, and on our website,

We’ve been slashing our prices left, centre and right,

We wanted to bring you glad tidings and joy,

So we’re making gifts cheaper for girl and for boy,

So mummy and daddy can save up some cash,

And buy party buckets for a great Christmas bash!

Our ice lolly maker is down by eight pounds,

It makes tasty lollies so fast it astounds,

A whole fiver less: the Marmite money jar,

And fourteen ninety five gets a paper guitar,

Yes our cheap festive deals are all guaranteed hits,

If you want Christmas savings, just pop by Gadgets.

If you think my rhymes over I’m afraid you’re all nutters,

You can save a few bob on Pacman cookie cutters,

Or save almost ten pounds on my little friend Dave,

He’s a monkey who’s cheeky and doesn’t behave,

He’s a jester, companion, a funky young tyke,

He’s a mischievous chap the whole family will like.

But the highlight for me is this memories frame,

To see pictures of loved ones again and again,

Because Christmas means families, the people we need,

The people that cook us that big festive feed,

If you want them to smile then it’s easy I’d say,

Buy them something from Gadgets for their Christmas Day.

You can find all these gadgets and more in our Festive Deals section. There’s guaranteed to be something for everyone!

Unlucky #11

Last week, we showed you 10 of the best Halloween costumes from the internet, and today we want you to show us your best costumes. If you dressed up at the weekend, or you’re dressing up tonight, we want to see it, so send your best photos to customer.services@gadgets.co.uk! Please only send the photos if you’re happy for us to feature them either on our website or facebook, and include your full name somewhere in the email so we can give you proper credit for them!

Have you ever wondered why we dress up on Halloween? It all comes from Ireland where the Celts believed that, on their new years eve (which was October 31st), the line between the land of the living and the land of the dead became blurry, and the spirits of the dead would be able to cross over into the land of the living.

Because the Celts were afraid of the spirits, they used to disguise themselves as inhuman, hoping to fool the dead into leaving them alone. They would take to the streets and wander around with their faces covered in ash and wearing dirty rags. Over centuries, it maintained itself as a tradition, and when the Irish immigrated to America in the 1800s they brought it with them. Since then, it’s evolved into the happier form of dressing up that we know today.

Happy Halloween everyone, and remember to send us your photos!

Yes, it’s another Halloween-themed post. What were you expecting? Today, we’re celebrating with the Top 10 Phenomenally Brilliant Halloween Costumes. So, without further ado, we begin our countdown with:

#10:

#9:

#8:

#7:

#6:

#5:

 #4:

#3:

#2:

 #1:

Of course, if you haven’t got the time or inclination to spend hours of your life constructing an intricate costume for a one-time use, our Flippin’ Frightening T-Shirts are the perfect Halloween costume for you! A casual t-shirt that flips over into a creature of the night, they’re an excellent quirky costume and a cool talking point for those last-minute parties.

It was quiet out there tonight. Maybe too quiet. It wasn’t obvious but my finely-tuned senses were telling me that something wasn’t quite right. Allow me to introduce myself: name’s Knigel. Sure it’s not fancy, but I get by. These days I’m spending my time at Gadget HQ, casing the joint for what we in the business refer to as “suspicious activities”. I can’t tell you who gave me the job, or what they’re paying, but what I can say is that they want to know what’s going on behind these doors real bad.

I’ve been here three years now, and tonight was the first time I caught a break. I found a bucket full of sweets just sitting there with no reason or rhyme for it. These guys don’t move sweets, they’re into bigger game, you know, miscellaneous electronics, gadgets, the sorta stuff that gets you in trouble if you don’t know what you’re doing with it. But this stuff… this is amateur product, candy with Halloween pictures on them. I didn’t know what they were up to, but I was sure as hell gonna find out.

I found two more buckets of the stuff, same brand, same product. Something wasn’t right. I took a swig from my hip flask and surveyed the scene. Halloween candy… it didn’t make sense. Then I caught my second break. A note at the bottom of the bucket with “trick or treat giveaway” written on it. Something about it didn’t sit right, but whichever way I turned I found myself at the same conclusion:

These guys were giving away sweets.

I checked my pocket watch; they’d be back soon, and I wasn’t in the mood for getting caught. I knew with enough time I could figure this out, but it wasn’t going to be tonight. I took another swig, and slipped back into my hiding place…