Yes, it’s that time when kids celebrate the birth of baby Santa Claus in the manger, mistletoe features as a key piece of evidence in sexual harassment cases, and sales of sprouts briefly surge to levels the British Sprout Growers’ Association can only dream of achieving all year round.

But never mind all that, last week I discovered an earth-shattering new product in WH Smith: Christmas wrapping paper with a grid printed on the back. It makes wrapping so much easier and neater, it was a revelation. It’s probably been around for years, but I’ve only ever seen grids printed on the back of sticky-backed plastic.

That feeble anecdote’s about as Christmassy (a real word; I checked) as this blog’s going to get, but here’s a frosty photo of the view from my living room window, taken a few years ago around this time of year, which might help to establish a more seasonal ambience?

No…?