The beacon

The Christmas lights draw you home on a cold damp evening in December.

Already my workmates are thinning out as they start the festivities early, some to panic shop, some to loaf and luxuriate in the Christmas spirit.

I will work on to the end of the week and take my rest next week and for a few days forget the diet and the perils of the NHS. I will be eating cheese and pastry for the only time in the year when I can do it without guilt and recrimination. I shall drink beer and wine and watch DVDs and play on the Wii.

I shall spend quality time with the people who I miss most and a few of my family. Wouldn't it be good to have them all together? But we will drink to absent friends and maybe shed a tear for lost chances. Mostly we will have fun and avoid 'storm-offs',which can be prevalent at this time of year.

And we know the lights will always bring us in from the cold.