Christmas lights, tinsel and baubles go up earlier and earlier every year and will no doubt be thrust upon us come September. Journalists, however, have to get into the Christmas spirit even earlier than most.

This week we have been inundated with Christmas in July events, where PRs and manufacturers force us to enter into the Christmas spirit to showcase the products that will fill the shelves during the festive season. One such manufacturer is Woolworths, which has announced its Top10 Christmas present list.

Yes, I know it is far too early and you have no intention of buying Christmas presents until December, but among the Star Wars Lego and the High School Musical Singalong Dolls was an old favourite you may remember – the Rubik’s Cube. And while you may have discarded yours, along with your neon legwarmers, back in the 1980s, apparently the craze is alive and well and due for a comeback.

“Speedcubing” is thriving on the internet and has been silently taking the world by storm, from kids to professionals competing worldwide. And apparently there is a lot more to it than randomly twisting the cube and hoping the colours fall into place (something to do with algorithms, move notations and Fridrich’s Advance Solution). If you want to have a go follow How to Solve a Rubik’s Cube Easily and if you haven’t quite managed to complete it in ten seconds flat you may be missing a trick.

Considering the last-minute Christmas Eve frenzy, maybe you should head down to the stores now to avoid disappointment.

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