Times Online, on the fears that grip us at Christmas. For Sarah Vine, it’s illness:

There is an upside to neurosis in that the true neurotic also enjoys the gift of prophecy. Worry enough about any problem and you can make it happen, no matter how highly the odds seem stacked against it. The healthy individual thinks herself thin or rich, the hand-wringing worrymonger thinks herself into a 102-degree fever, accompanied by a vile chafing cough, on Christmas Day.

It’s amazing the power of negative thinking. You can do it too, merely by spending hours picturing yourself laid out in bed, martyr-like, while the rest of the family tucks merrily into the Christmas goose downstairs. You can achieve this goal despite logic or major obstacles such as spending the month leading up to the big day mainlining carrot juice…

(-cross-posted at shrinkette.)