PERHAPS the old memory is finally letting me down, but something which I cannot recall happening since my childhood has been much in evidence in the last week. It is to do with the weather, of course. What else is there to talk about? Oh yes, apart from C

PERHAPS the old memory is finally letting me down, but something which I cannot recall happening since my childhood has been much in evidence in the last week.

It is to do with the weather, of course. What else is there to talk about? Oh yes, apart from Christmas that is.

What has drawn my attention in the latest flurry of snowflakes is not that they have stayed around for so long but where some of them have ended up.

I presume it is because of the way the snow was blown in almost horizontally on Thursday that it has ended up as a vertical line on the windward side of trees and telegraph poles.

Usually, it would be the first to melt away but there it has stayed because the temperature has not shifted upwards enough (if at all) to allow Nature to get on with the job. As in Copenhagen, there's been no point in talking about climate change lately.

So the snow continues to defy gravity. For how long, who knows but I will be keep an interested eye out on it.

Snow could still be lying on the ground come Christmas Day - whether it will actually fall on the 25th is a matter for betting people - but it is not seen by Brits as a key factor in making it a perfect festive celebration, according to a timely survey.

In fact, the white stuff is not mentioned at all.

Top of the poll was people wanting to receive at least one of the Christmas presents on their wish list, the most popular being jewellery (not on mine, however).

And, reflecting the credit crunch, in second place were 51 per cent of those questioned who said they would gauge the success of the day on providing great presents, within budget, due to the current economic climate.

More than a third of respondents wished for no family arguments during the day (perhaps a forlorn hope in many homes) while three out of 10 wanted everything to run on time (they should be so lucky)

One in five want a minimum of two hours undisturbed sofa time watching classic TV comedies while slightly fewer said the would judge the day on the quality of their after dinner nap.

For nine per cent, dinner was the main thing on Christmas Day and they want it well cooked but not burnt, with all the trimmings and ideally served at 3pm.

Just four per cent said cheers to a steady flow of champagne and wine making the day good. Two per cent said actually avoiding the Queen's Speech would make their day, while one in 100 said the exact opposite.

So there you have it. I'm getting ready to have a sumptuous lunch, put my feet up stretched out on the settee with a glass of vino in hand and switch on the box for a touch of Only Fools And Horses before nodding off.

Merry Christmas.