“Christmas” and “routine” are not entirely compatible. Over the holiday period all sorts of routines get disrupted, which is potentially a problem for anybody who is a bit OCD or who just clings onto routines as a coping mechanism.

While I was unwell and then when I was shielding during the pandemic, I found that keeping various routines kept me going mentally. Routines also helped me physically because of my inability to eat the way I used to. There are foods I used to like that I just can’t eat, and I keep coming across things that I can eat on their own but can’t eat in combination. I ended up sticking to fixed patterns of food that I know I can eat. If I take holidays or go away with work that can be an issue, so I established some alternative routines.

As far as food is concerned, I am keeping to the same sort of stuff over the holidays, just with more mince pies than I would normally have. There will be chocolate, but not in the quantities I would like. I know I can’t plough through a selection box or tub of Celebrations because of the resulting dumping syndrome, and a massive roast is beyond me. Fortunately alcohol is not an issue because I hardly drink anyway.

It is all the other changes that just make me uneasy. Nothing serious. It is just a general feeling of disorientation when, for example, all your normal radio shows have a different presenter because the main one is taking time off. Nothing wrong with Nemone, but it just feels a bit odd not having Lauren Laverne on the radio in the mornings. Likewise, the few TV shows I watch are all over the place or on hiatus for the duration of the holidays. It will be good to see the specials of Ghosts, Inside No. 9, and the Detectorists but I am struggling with having House of Games on at the wrong time.

And then there is the big one; the change to bin collection days!

I know that I should embrace change and spontaneity more, as I used to, but I have become set in my ways over the last few years. As it is, I am looking forward to the break but also looking forward to the subsequent return to normality.