Gareth O'Callaghan: Twixmas is often a time we'd prefer to forget

That state of suspension between Christmas and new year is a time of reflection, including memories we would prefer to forget — there's no getting away from the fact 2024 has been a sad year for humanity

German chancellor Olaf Scholz, centre, at the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany,
where a car drove into a crowd on Friday, December 20, killing five people. Picture: AP /Michael Probst

So this is Twixmas — the name given to the days between the festive season and the new year — between the madness of what has just been and the uncertainty of what’s to come. 

It’s not my favourite time, nor, from what I can gather, is it many others’ front-runner. It’s a state of suspended activity, or even a feeling of mental displacement.