Christmas is always a special time. The nights get darker, the temperatures fall and the bank balance plummets !

Sometimes, when I've travelled to warmer climes, I've actually missed that feeling of snugness that you feel after that journey home from school when it's dark, cold and raining, and the buses are crowded, invariably late and so damp that all the windows steam up. There follows the lonely trudge home from the bus-stop and finally that satisfying feeling of getting to the front door, stepping into a nice warm house, making a cup of tea, curling up in front of the telly, and vowing not to go out again until morning.