Shirley Tart: Weary, yes, but I'll surge on through to New Year

The relatives have gone home (or have they?) and you have a big relaxing weekend ahead (in your dreams, eh?).

Is this the weekend where you've promised to squeeze in visits to people you didn't actually manage to catch up with before December 25?

But have you pledged too much? Have you invited too many? Misjudged the extra food shopping you need to do yet again, and not accounted for the total exhaustion once the main event is over?

Would you be better off going for a nice long walk before curling up with a book, crossword or in front of the TV? Probably.

But who of us always does what is best for them? It's amazing how another dose of adrenalin sees you through. If you actually like the people you have promised to visit – or those you've invited over – that's a bonus.

And half of them will be as worn out as you anyway. So form a club and get on with it. As my dad used to say cheerfully in his later years in response to any complaint about mild weariness 'It will all be over in the sweet bye and bye'. Bless.

For me, I look back fondly to the time when I had great New Year's Eve parties with the same crowd – plus a few extras as time went by.

They were memorable. Like the one where I found a partygoer asleep by the side of the Christmas tree. Didn't he have a home to go to? Yes, but he couldn't remember where it was.

Then there was the year when I was away for Christmas so cheated and put up an artificial tree for New Year. What was I to think the next day when I found handfuls of pine needles scattered round the carpet? That a joker had been at large, of course.

And what of the couple who arrived late and couldn't attract anyone's attention when knocking the door so tried noisily banging the outside of an extractor fan?

Great fun and lovely memories.

But thinking back, goodness, I'm tired.