At last I can relax, everything is done. The last months hectic rush is over. The turkey is in the oven and the vegetables prepared, the presents are piled under the tree. It’s even snowing for us, the perfect Christmas Day.

Breakfast’s over and we’re going to open some presents now, the children can’t wait any longer! Santa has come up trumps again this year, the children have got what they most wanted and everyone else is happy too.

We’ve had so much it’s lunch time already and late lunch at that. It’s ready now so we all gather round the table and watch the snow, still falling outside, while we enjoy our delicious hot meal inside.

Now we’re all too full to do anything other than slump in a chair and, when we’ve revived a bit, play with our toys, or play our new C.D.s and enjoy our presents ................ all except the chocolates, there’ll be room for them later!

Tea is much later and much lighter! Then it’s time for the children to go to bed - let’s hope they sleep tonight - and time for us to enjoy a film on television. It finishes late but we can sleep in tomorrow.

We switch off and in that moment of quiet - the only one we’ve had all day - I hear someone knocking on the door. When I open it there’s a man standing there. I don’t recognise him at first. He’s cold and wet and hungry. He’s been there all day, in the snow, knocking. In the midst of our celebrations not one of us stopped, for even a moment, and remembered, and let him in.

I hope I never have a birthday like that!