Everything you ever wanted to know about Christmas, in a nutshell

It is with great relief and no little pride that I can announce that as of about ten minutes ago I sent my editor at Icon Books the completed manuscript of What is Myrrh Anyway? - a book that answers all those questions about Christmas you're too embarrassed to ask yourself.

In due course edits, corrections and additions will inevitably need to be made, but for the time being I can actually get to bed before midnight for once and drift off to sleep knowing that I've got to the end of another book - my nineteenth, to be precise - and that it's a job well done.

And what's more, I'm off to Italy on holiday on Friday, which will be the first time I've been abroad in five years. The timing really couldn't be better.

So, until next time...