Dear LPG readers,

I don't know how long it takes for something written for these pages to escape the mind of its writer and end up as one of this website’s daily posts, but it is really hot today. It is so hot that           I cannot sleep, and I am sure that many people will be experiencing precisely the same thing. 

When anyone finds themselves awake in the early hours of a morning like this, there are a few options: you can lie there wondering if it will ever get cool enough to sleep, turn the telly on and watch something macabre, or offload. In the take approach, where you go to the little room and then drink a large glass of cold water, which does not make you feel any better, or, like me, you might go all the way and make yourself a sandwich. 

I was getting to the end of one when an odd sort of inspiration wave whooshed onto the seashore of my mind. One of those really random thoughts just popped in there while I had nothing better to think about.  This one usually comes to mind in November when I decide to get an early start on Christmas, but it was the thought of just how much cooler the end of the year would be that inspired me. This was a morning at the end of June 2025 and the hottest day of the year so far.  

Isn’t it funny how being too hot gets us thinking of the freezing weather that we all hate when it arrives, but that was exactly where my head was at the time. It occurred to me that, if I got to grips with organising my Christmas list a bit early, I might actually be ready when it arrives at the end of the year. 

They say that, if you want to be sure of a good night’s sleep, you should leave your mobile phone in another room before you are ready to turn in, but there is no mention of a bit of paper and a pen being harmful to sleep. Having not too far to reach for mine, I found myself preparing a list of all the people I need to get a present for. 

It’s amusing how much more quickly a list like that comes together when it's compiled at the opposite end of the year, rather than when you really need it. The lack of urgency allows you to think clearly about what you might buy each person on the list and the gaps on the lines where your mind as to what you need to get for some of those loved ones does not leave you with that sense of panic that it would have had if it were early  December at the time of compilation. 

Having initiated the process and with so much time in hand, you are sure to have a few opportunities to speak with them, either by phone or find yourselves with a minute or two to chat. You will have months to think of something random that your son or that cousin you only see or hear from a couple of times a year might really need. Another advantage is that, when you are inspired, the list will be there. You will be less likely to put your idea somewhere at the back of your mind where it will eventually get lost entirely, or on a bit of paper which will either end up in the pocket of something you put in the washing machine or at the back of a drawer, only to be found at least a year after next Christmas has come and gone. 

The vast weather differences we experience in the UK have always been our most popular topic of conversation because the latitude line we cross makes us one of those countries where the weather can be so diverse. Have you ever noticed how often an Englishman will start a weather-inspired conversation with a wish for it to be at the other extreme from the one we have at the time? If it is rainy, we yearn for the sun to appear; if it is hot, we crave a cool version of the elements, and early in the morning, our minds can be consumed by those same thoughts. 

So, thinking about the opposite end of the calendar year is not a bad way to start a really hot summer’s day when you can’t get back to sleep. There is something truly gratifying about having a good reason to think of colder times while being in the midst of really hot weather. 

Thinking about Christmas while there are still too many shopping days left to count on your fingers makes the whole thing more relaxing further down the line…

OS, Croydon