Some people like their Christmas present to be a surprise. Others prefer to know exactly what they're getting.

This year, I badgered my wife for a Pebble smartwatch, so I know what I'm getting and I'm probably more excited than a 37 year old should really be about new toys.

I received a lovely surprise this month, which I'm also calling a Christmas present and that was to learn that dependentongadgets.com is a shortlisted finalist in the UK Blog Awards 2015!!

Having a blog has been a fantastic outlet for me and my continuing love affair with technology. When visitors started to appear, I also realised that there's also a big kick to be had in sharing your enthusiasm with other people.

Getting through the first round means that my readership, including friends, family and other bloggers took time out of their day to vote for me and that means more to me than any gadget (yes, even the really shiny ones!) and I thank everyone that did so.

I'm looking forward to catching up with the judges online during the final round and going to the awards ceremony next year. Winner or runner-up, 2015 holds much to be excited about with all the opportunities it brings to connect with other bloggers, my readers and, of course, get my hands on the next generation of technology!