Welcome to Betwixtmas, a time to look ahead with optimism, hope and positivity

It’s even been given a name, Betwixtmas, by people who spend way too much time on social media.

For the lucky it involves easy journeys from bed to the sofa to the fridge and back. For others it is a time of criss-crossing the country with fractious kids and overripe cheese to visit relatives as part of a kind of family focussed Festival of Obligations.

I love these days but for years I loathed them as they signalled the countdown to December 31 st and my traumatic adventures hosting Hogmanay on the telly. Standing on a scaffolding platform stone cold sober in whipping wind and driving rain, trying to generate jollity while wearing tartan trousers that seemed to have shrunk over Christmas did at least help me formulate a very clear New Year resolution.

Five times I woke up on January 1st determined not to do it again and five times I did it again. I think it was Einstein who said “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”. After one particularly crazy show, the penny finally dropped and I realised the outcome would always be the same…. and stuck to my resolution.

But using the start of a new year to change things seems a bit old hat nowadays. Who needs to join a gym or start a diet when you can just join the deflated hordes on weight loss jabs. Same results with none of the hard work or commitment.

Likewise taking up a new hobby or writing your first book. Watch You Tube videos for all the practical information your require and let AI create your debut novel. Similarly learning a new language. Translation apps are all you need nowadays.

So if resolutions are over, what’s the point of New Year? Until 1958 it was the big celebration in Scotland and Christmas was just another working day. Then December 25th became a public holiday and since then Christmas has grown to become the monster it is today. With alcohol consumption in the UK now at a record low, you might expect Hogmanay to be in decline as well.

Instead it’s in rude health with tickets for next week’s various celebrations in Edinburgh either sold out or selling fast.

What keeps it compelling is the sense of a fresh start, a new beginning. As we all embark on another 12 month adventure spinning around the sun, none of us know what highs and lows that journey will bring.

What we do know is that we have Scottish Parliament elections in May, a Scotland World Cup campaign in June and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July, and all bringing endless permutations of happiness and heartache.

As we look back on the 12 months ending, so much of it will have been unpredictable. Good and bad, the big events in our lives were probably things we just didn’t see coming. Many would also have not been preventable. So as fate again rolls the dice on us again, Hogmanay is really just a celebration of optimism, hope and positivity. When it comes, Happy New Year.