Jan 6th is going to be a fun time in the US this year.

First day of the sun setting after 4 p.m. (in London).

Veganuary is a bit like Movember: everyone who is going to go vegan or grow a moustache has done so by now.

The books I'm going to read this year:

Fuck Traitors, there's a new Harlan Coben starting on NY Day. Will it feature a missing relative, a dogged cop, secrets from the past informing current day actions, teens ho have done something dumb, a wood, some odd casting choices, and nice property in southern Manchester? Yes, yes, yes and yes.

When only the intern is working over Xmas.

This kind of nonsense isn't new though, it's just more widespread because of the internet. Dickens had to change the ending of Great Expectations, Conan Doyle was forced to bring back Holmes. www.independent.co.uk/arts-enterta...

or can you

At the Tate Modern to see the Olafur Eliasson exhibition before it shuts on 5th Jan. Couldn't see it on the gallery map, so asked a staff member. Only realised whilst showing her the website blurb that I'm 6 years too late:

Rhubarb Hill Hotel turns out to be a cupboard in a council flat above a precinct. I've had worse holidays. My #Corrie ep review: coronationstreetupdates.blogspot.com/2025/12/coro...

Watching Jay Kelly, and it's reminding me a little of Preston Sturges's 1941 film Sullivan's Travels, in which the titular Sullivan wants to travel across Depression-era America to get material for his Hollywood opus, called O, Brother Where Art Thou?

On the tube to Stratford. Kid next to me, with wonder in his voice: "Are we going past....West Ham?"

Just seen a plastic Xmas tree in a green waste bin. That isn't going to end satisfactorily fir anyone.

Me at the beginning of 2025 vs me at the end of 2025

My 2025 via Livejournal meme (which is what we called a Q&A list back before meme meant a distracted boyfriend or an irate cat): millionreasons.livejournal.com/675169.html. Also check out @olliefern.bsky.social's far more zen review of the year.

For once, I read the original text of A Ghost Story For Christmas before watching it; it's here if you want to read it www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/72421

Went to see Marty Supreme. A bit like Rocky, except with table tennis rather than boxing and a Lower East Side schmiel rather than a blue collar Italian-American.

No Liz line, so having to take the central lion like a peon, or someone before 2022.

Goodreads Unwrapped just dropped:

In tennis, if a player wins the first three sets, that's it, no need to play the final two. In cricket, not so much.

If you're having a bad time at Xmas, it could be worse, you could not have received the cha-cha heels you requested youtu.be/uDie8goaBDU?...

It's Christmas Steve, not Christmas Eve!

Spare a thought for Reform voters who will have to let a Turkish man into their house tonight along with a load of immigrants from Lapland.

If only eBay had existed then, a whole lot of hassle (and 2 hours) could've been saved.

Just walked past the local Co-op, which wasn't full of angry people fighting over the last parsnip. Disappointing.

Shout out to the introverts and socially-uncomfortables who’ll be spending the next few days in a rictus of bejumpered terror.

I realise inputting figures is hardly working in the NHS or even serving pints in a pub, but i'm having to work today to do wages and someone has sent me his overtime as "2.75+3+6+6+6"

Let's take the Christ out of Christmas: www.instagram.com/reels/DSXV5e...

Nice that the Central line has finally turned on the aircon.

Happy Festivus to the rest of us!

I mention in my #Corrie Monday nite ep review that the props dept didn't bother to mock up a photo of la Connor living her best life, so am glad @corriepodcast.com did one! coronationstreetupdates.blogspot.com/2025/12/coro...

Midsommar / Midwintar

Unseasonal youtu.be/-yXVufG5oV0?...

My parents have gone full boomer and have fucked off on holiday for Xmas and are posting badly framed photos on FB.

host: so what do you think plato, is it cake? plato: truth exists in the realm of the forms, an abstract dimension of perfect concepts, in reality we have only the perception of imperfect copies host: so cake or not cake plato: cake host: it is in fact not cake

Going to work-work on a Monday for the first time since 9th March 2020.

Have yourself a miserable little Xmas grainnemaguire.substack.com/p/four-chris...

The Boyf AI-d a group photo as a football team (I am second from right). I'm getting Jack Grealish's less talented cousin vibes.

TIL that Timmy Mallett's art website is called MallettsPalette. www.mallettspallette.co.uk

Upsetting the Boyf by not understanding the difference between Vecna and the Demogorgon.

I have done my good deed this yuletide season and persuaded two of my colleagues to NOT go to Westfield this weekend. Their children may wake up on Christmas morn present-less and unhappy but at least their parents won't be in the Maudsley.

By the way: if you are finishing work today, I hate you.

Everyone on public transport's attempts to give me a cold just before Xmas seem to have succeeded.

Make up your ruddy mind, China.

Hard agree with the boyfriend. Everything in the north is a bun, apart from bread buns, which are bread cakes. www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

The sanitary towel bin company for the building where I work has just sent me a Christmas message.

My #Corrie Awards 2025: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Villain, Best Couple, Best Barmaid, Best Storyline, Worst Storyline &c: coronationstreetupdates.blogspot.com/2025/12/coro...

WHEN IS BINS* *Newham

Hope Santa doesn't bring any presents for the couple standing in both queues for the self service checkouts and then, when the woman's queue moved more quickly, blocking my (and everyone behind me) way with her pushchair so the man could bring their shopping cart to the till. Bah fucking humbug.

Just eaten a Gregg's vegan festive lattice bake, so don't need to have any salt 'til Sunday now.