Each Boxing Day, countless Australians take part in the annual tradition of returning unwanted gifts for an exchange or refund. Usually, the retailer accepts the proffered item with no questions asked. But what if they refuse? Are merchants legally obligated to provide a remedy under Australian consumer law or are they allowed to send you packing?

If it somehow hasn't happened to you yet, it will someday. You unwrap a gift from a distant relative or your beloved partner, and… it's terrible. You force a gracious smile and say, "Thank you so much, I love it." What happens next?

When you're cleaning up after this year's festivities remember that most wrapping paper these days is actually recyclable.

Every year without fail I end up running tech support for an assortment of friends and family when I travel back home for the holidays. This year I've already tackled such hard-hitting questions as "Where did my Bitmoji keyboard go?" "Why are people tapping their phone on registers?" and "Why is my computer doing this thing?"

"Is Macca's open on Christmas and/or Boxing Day?" This is a question more Aussies ask themselves than you might think. The good news is that there will be plenty of McDonald's stores offering piping hot Big Macs on December 25 and 26 - you can find the nearest available outlet to your location here.

On Christmas Day in Australia, fewer people are at their paid employment and more working premises are closed than on any other day in the year. How does this affect demand for electricity, widely seen as fundamentally associated with economic activity?

The beautiful thing about Christmas traditions is that we do them every year. The terrible thing about Christmas traditions is that we do them every year. A drinking game (or non-alcoholic equivalent) can be just what you need to add a little spice -- or sauce -- to the annual proceedings.

Travelling home for Christmas almost always means that if you're the tech-savvy, computer literate one in the family, someone will ask you to look at their laptop, phone, or desktop. Head them off at the pass with this list of tips the next time you're home.

Choosing between real and artificial Christmas trees largely comes down to personal preference: do you want that cosy pine smell and hellacious clean-up, or built-in lights with no personal touch but nary a needle on the floor? Personal preference aside, though, there's someone else who probably cares: Mother Earth.

Happy weekend, everyone, and welcome back to 3-Ingredient Happy Hour, the weekly drink column featuring super simple yet delicious libations. This week we're making a faux eggnog latte with plenty of bourbon for sipping on Christmas morning.

Family Christmas gatherings are certainly a time. Between crap presents, That One Uncle and passive aggressive comments from relatives who can't even remember what they're fighting about anymore -- it can be taxing. And then there are the invasive relationship questions.

I get that it's nice for people are showing interest, but sometimes you just don't want them to. Nobody wants to be reminded that they're not doing as well as Cousin Amanda or that their ovaries are shriveling up by the second. Here are some options on how to tackle the more likely questions -- before and after you've had those lunch time drinks.

It's the holidays so it's time to take a break and kick back with some of the all-time classics. We've rounded up all of the best Christmas films and where you can stream them in Australia.

Cranberries are quite pretty but, unless you pickle them, they aren't the tastiest garnish. Rather than let them skate by on looks alone, I make them pull their weight by performing double duty as a beverage chiller.

Snappy, treat-studded chocolate bark is a holiday treat that is always met with much enthusiasm. (Williams Sonoma is able to charge $42 for 454g of their peppermint iteration, making it more expensive than organic rib eye.) There is, however, no reason to spend a bunch on bark, as it can be made in your kitchen with very little effort.

The ugly sweater is a staple of Christmas time. Yes, sure, the temperatures reach the mid to high 30s on Christmas Day in Australia, but the excellence of the ugly sweater should not – nay, cannot – be denied. On Christmas morning, you want to open your gifts in one of these.

If you’re new to the game, here’s the Lifehacker Guide to finding the best ugly sweater for that brisk Christmas morning (from a guy who knows a thing or two about ugly Christmas sweaters).

There are sweet makers, and there are sweet eaters, and I am firmly in the latter camp. Though I don't mind a cathartic cooking sesh, my main goal - during the holidays especially - is to churn out the treats. This is why this fudge, which takes less than five minutes of your active time, gets made every single Christmas.

It's that time of year again. The air is warm, it's still bright at 7PM, and for those that celebrate, it is time to get a Christmas tree. Whether you believe that Santa is coming down the chimney; a Soviet era Grandfather Frost and his trusty chaperon, the Snow Maiden, are coming to visit your non-denominational "New Year's tree"; or that the Bishop of Turkey is going to swing by for a little eggnog, you are going to want that tree smelling and looking good all month. Here's how to keep those needles hydrated through Krampus Night and into Christmas Day.

Sony have gone live with their 12 Days of Christmas promotion, offering massive discounts on TVs, cameras, headphones and more. It's the last day of the promotion and a lot of the previous items are back on sale. Check out the deals here.