Check out those shoes! Tonight Olivia will need those snazzy little numbers on her feet for dancing as she joins us for the first time at our annual Christmas Eve disco. Daddy will be spinning the platters that matters - or at least pressing the buttons on the iPod - and, as ever, there is sure to be a big surge to the dancefloor for such bonafide classics as 'Superstition' and 'Get Ur Freak On'. All present are certain to be moist-eyed for the obligatory play of 'Once Around the Block' as we reprise the wedding dance, with the added bonus of bringing Olivia into the choreography.

Later a plump man in red will deposit lots of presents in the front room. This will, of course, be me. I have to put that wardrobe full of vintage United shirts to work somehow, and since Olivia was born I've found it harder to squeeze in visits to the gym, with the knock on effect of it being harder to squeeze into my clothes.

The fact that Olivia will be totally oblivious to tomorrow morning's events, has not deterred Cath from buying her a cavalcade of presents. I'm working on the reasoning that it's better to spoil her now while she isn't aware she's being spoilt, than it will be in future. I couldn't say for sure if this is also the logic that Cath's operating by, but that can be a discussion for another year.

For now, we've mulled wine to quaff and reindeer food to sprinkle round the back-garden...Happy Christmas!