Christmas is for many of us a nightmare: relatives, trying not to buy them the same present again, sticking to a budget, and only going beyond the call of duty for those few cherished kin one most needs to keep on side. Could I be forgiven for wondering whether Christmas is worth the expense, particularly in 2022, the year of nightmarish inflation – or should I expect some ghostly visitations this festive eve?
This hasn’t started well, has it? Even as a child I considered the costs of being good or bad, sometimes sending an apologetic note to Father Christmas: very sorry, having weighed up the pros and cons of being naughty, I’ve decided to be bad this year.
