Superstores are heaving with people stocking up for a six month siege. They are only closed for one day.

People who don’t see each other from one year to the next send each other cards telling each other they are thinking of them despite the fact they will then ignore them for another year.

Some people get masses of cards and yet spend Christmas alone.

People who normally don’t come anywhere near you, suddenly want to kiss you.

Everyone gets excited about presents despite knowing that 80% will not be anything they would choose or use.

People secretly enjoy letting their hair down and showing their true colours at office parties, but then they go too far and end up doing something so embarrassing and humiliating it is the talk of the company until next time. But nobody learns from this because somebody does it all over again at the next one.

It is perfectly acceptable to start drinking at breakfast time and carry on all day despite the fact that at any other time anyone doing this would be considered to have a serious alcohol problem.

There is always a tinge of anticipation on pulling a cracker even when you are ninety and have heard every cheesy joke, worn every coloured hat and seen every silly present possible.

Artificial trees exist and people actually buy and decorate them as though they could possibly emulate the real thing.

People who don’t believe in God, go to church and worship Him and feel virtuous about it, even though they may as well be singing and praying to a brick .