On the theme of Santa, I ran into him on the escalators of Kendals department store on Thursday evening. He came up behind me as I was exiting the lingerie department. (A small shopping trip designed, and quite successful, in cheering me up after a particularly grim afternoon).

'Yo ho ho,' he said. I turned round to find a very pink-faced man, complete with tiny specs,in the usual costume, beaming behind me. It's hard to be cynical in the face of cuddliness. A flurry of ladybird books and sitting on Santa's knee at the Co-op department store in Banbury, age seven, fluttered through my mind and made me quite cheery.

'My Santa,' you're early,' I replied.

'Yes, I come earlier every year,' said Santa.

'I bet Mrs Claus doesn't like that,' fell out of my mouth.

Fortunately Santa found this hilarious and half a dozen people turned round to see why two adults were laughing heartily on an escalator and one of them was Father Christmas.

I really haven't been a very good girl this year. Hopefully I'll get one of those 'think before you speak' things I've always wanted.