In keeping with the holiday spirit of charity, and also because it's a very good cause, allow me to draw your attention to Match It For Pratchett, a charity drive to raise money for Alzheimer's research. The writer Terry Pratchett, tragically diagnosed with the disease himself, has donated £500,000 to research; this drive is attempting to raise enough money to match his donation.

Alzheimer's is a horrible disease. It's dreadful when a writer comes down with it, like Terry Pratchett or Iris Murdoch, because the contents of their mind have always been more open and entertaining to people than usual - but the sadness of hearing a writer diagnosed just goes to show how terrible it is when anyone's mind starts to go. Everyone's mind is more vivid to them than the best novel in the world. So let's join in this excellent cause and see if something can be done about this awful illness.

Happy holidays!