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Eithne Shortall: This month’s ailment is acute seasonal overcommitment

So, you’re absolutely going to make every single social event crammed into your ‘fuller-than-Santa’s-sack’ diary? Well, ho ho ho . . .

Drinks with old college friends; dinner with the girls; a walk with the lads; a trip away with family; I have more plans this month than in the whole rest of the year combined

My partner Colm likes how the phrase “And if I don’t see you, happy Christmas” enters the Irish vernacular in December. Be it the IT guy stopping by your desk to fix a problem on December 21 or a good friend that you meet earlier in the month, when the exchange comes to an end, you utter this farewell and go your separate ways. I like it, too – in theory.

Alas, in practice, I ...