10 ways to tell that Christmas is over

After the frenzy of last-minute Christmas shopping and dealing with large numbers of difficult relatives, a time comes when things suddenly die down.

Here are ten easy ways of telling that it is indeed over:

• You feel if you see one more turkey sandwich, you will not be responsible for your deeds.
• You can find parking at the shopping centre.
• The batteries on all the children’s toys have finally gone flat.
• There are no more Christmas jingles in the supermarket or on TV – Boney M is relegated to a dusty drawer for ten months.
• The summer clothing sales start.
• You no longer hear a voice in the back of your head that says, “Buy, buy, buy…”
• You feel a sense of joy at the prospect of not having to deal with in-laws or family for at least a month or two.
• You join the only queues now to be found in shops – at the exchange desk.
• The giftwrapping counters in department stores have disappeared.
• The Christmas tree is slowly turning brown next to the dustbin.

(Health24, updated December 2013)