WELL it's all over.

After all those weeks of shopping, writing cards, wrapping presents, buying food and drink and then a few days of over-indulging, that's it until next year.

I'm back at work, back to normality at least until New Year.

On the plus side, the trip to work took me about five minutes as there were so few cars on the road.

On the downside, it appears that at least threequarters of the Warrington population is out shopping.

At least that's what it seemed like when I braved Golden Square at lunchtime.

It's sales frenzy time and the shops are full and everyone is carrying bags of bargains.

I'm not a lover of sales. I like a bargain as much as the next person, but I hate all the crowds and people practically coming to blows in their efforts to save a few quid.

I'd rather not bother.

Most of the decent stuff has either been bought by those hardy souls who think nothing of getting to the shops at 5am on Boxing Day or it isn't in the sale.

In yesterday's paper it said that there were 10,000 people in the Trafford Centre before it had even opened on Boxing Day.

That's my idea of hell.

After a busy Christmas - catering for nine people - I like nothing more than to spend a quiet Boxing Day vegetating.

Yet, if the TV advertising is anything to go by, nearly everyone is buying a new sofa or a 40-inch TV.

Then we have all those adverts for fitness DVDs by all manner of stars promising us that in only six weeks you too can look like Kate Moss.

I've bought a few of those type of DVDs in my time and there is one drawback to all of them - you've actually got to do the exercises for them to do any good!

My New Year's resolutions have, for the past 10 years at least, been to lose weight, take more exercise and cut down on the booze.

So I've got four more days to indulge before I become a new woman!

Cheers! Have a merry one!