Being single with very little family left is not easy for me which is why I always pack my Christmases like a roast turkey . This year I have thought a lot about the friends near and far who are just good sticks ! My mate from school Heather Hall delivered Christmas dinner to my mum and her sister in the rain ! My mum and Auntie Barb were both all over it like a maggots on a lamb chop ( both isolating with covid up in Lancashire ) . I also had the loveliest Christmas here . Thanks for all the lovely offers of dinner Chester folks, I was not in my own at all, so it was really heartwarming . I ended up writing and delivering the very last ever alternative queens speech in the Bouverie Arms to a misty eyed pub as Matt Baker did the carols on the accordion ! It’s a tradition I have upheld since 2004 when I left London to move here, so every Christmas under the low eves of the crooked pub roof I deliver a message of goodwill to the drunks . My Christmases have always seemed to play out in very in public with gigs , shows and hosting of various seasonal treats, but trust me I do have wobbles and it’s not all a bowl of trifle , I need those times in my own without people . Invariably though when I come through, in a full on Christmas my happiest times are around people and I really am feeling blessed to be able to have so many amazing friends in my life . I know it’s not an easy time for a lot of us ! So , if there’s one thing I do know and it was the theme of my speech yesterday , it’s that it’s good to make the make five minutes worth of time to reach out to someone who may be on their own or in the shit. There’s a lot of pressure out there to have a great time at this time of year and I know it can be overwhelming ! So however you are getting through it , reach out to someone who’s alone or struggling . It’s made my Christmas