The idea of camps and classes in the school holidays for kids is most commonly a feature of the summer break, when the long weeks of August could leave them bored with little to do after the family holiday is over. But Christmas can be a great time for it as well.

Summer holidays may be longer, but they tend to be a lot drier and warmer, so there is at least more time for outdoor activity. Since a white Christmas is rare for most of us and the days are short, far more time will be spent indoors. So why not get them to spend time indoors coding?

A reason some might give for not doing so is that AI is supposedly taking over everything and will make coding skills obsolete. But those in the know don’t believe this is true at all.

Speaking to Business Insider, Google’s vice president of research Yossi Matias said "The basic notion of learning the basic disciplines remains as important as ever. Everybody should learn how to code."

Responding to concerns that AI applications like GitHub could reduce the time people spend coding by up to 70 per cent, he added: "AI may assist with certain tasks, especially at the junior level, but it is still not taking over the entire coding process.”

This view is echoed by Microsoft engineer Naga Santhosh Reddy Vootukuri, who, in a separate essay for the same website, agrees that AI has cut his coding by 70 per cent, but not his workflow. Instead, he noted, he also enjoys having fewer meetings and less reading to do, but spends much more time strategising and liaising with clients, things AI cannot do.

So it is clear that the need to learn coding remains. That’s why giving your child coding lessons could be the best present you give them this Christmas.