Season's greetings

As the health of the old year fails and expiration beckons, the Good Funeral Guide is going to put its feet up for a few days and, with the assistance of good food and good whisky (Glendronach for choice), join the living in celebrating the solsticial festivities. Thank you, loyal and occasionally infuriated reader, for coming here. I am grateful to you, I really am.

If you should find yourself at a loose end in the next week or so, here's a way of whiling away the time. If you enjoy online gaming and would like to discover, in a virtual sort of way, what it feels like to be a funeral director, albeit a US funeral director, you may like Funeral Quest from Robinson Technologies – rtsoft.com. The blurb promises: “Funeral Quest is a web-based multiplayer game that simulates the world's second oldest profession - the Undertaker. You will face some mighty stiff competition however, because your adversaries will be some very alive human beings in this cutthroat game of capitalism.”

Not so far from reality, by the look of it.

Happy Christmas! Happy Samhain! Happy Winterfest! Yes, and a happy Christmas to you, too, Reaper G, you old bastard.