We are now just four nights away from Christmas Day and this time of year is always very memorable for most people.

For most it is a time of celebration - whether you have a strong Christian faith or not.

In fact there are celebrations for many different faith groups around this time of the year even if they don't exactly coincide with Christmas.

But for those with no faith, it is still an excuse to get together and celebrate at the darkest time of the year - after all the days start to get longer from tomorrow!

If there was any doubt that the festive season is here, it was dispelled when the curtain rose at the Regent pantomime in Ipswich last weekend!

For us journalists, the news keeps on coming but some parts of our work do go into slumber if not total hibernation.

Parliament broke up on Tuesday until the New Year - one of its last duties was to hear the government's proposed funding plans for local councils.

The national figure is an increase of 6.5%, based on September's inflation rate. That is the average across the country - individual councils are crunching the figures and won't know exactly how this is going to impact their budgets until early next year.

But from now on MPs are back in their constituencies - and grassroots politics are taking a rest until early January.

That doesn't necessarily mean they aren't doing some work - last weekend Dr Dan Poulter went out to see what the police encounter on a busy night shift - but it does mean they aren't all together in Westminster where intrigue can take hold.

Christmas is seen as a time when people try to come together - and I suspect Rishi Sunak was reflecting on that this week when he appeared to rule out any idea that the next General Election would be in January 2025.

That is the latest date that the poll could take place - but it would mean that next Christmas falls in the middle of the campaign.

Several lobby journalists have reported that Mr Sunak appeared to confirm last week that the election would be held in 2024 - although there is still a debate about whether it will happen in May or October.

May 2 is already the date for important local elections - police and crime commissioners across the country and the mayor of London - while October 24 (the last Thursday before the clocks go back) would almost take the government to five years since the 2019 election.

I suspect that unless things look utterly appalling for the government in mid-March, Mr Sunak will try to go for May - he's clearing the decks for an early poll - but things have been pretty appalling for his party over the last two years so don't rule out October!

But not Christmas. This is not the time of the year for the divisions of an election campaign.

While Christmas is very traditional, it also highlights how lives change over the years - maybe I just notice that more as I get older.

The chances of a White Christmas in Suffolk appear to be zero this year - It's not something I really worry about - but a few dry days so we can get out for a walk and visit Sutton Hoo's Anglo Saxon festive celebration would be nice!

The arrival of the Christmas Radio Times always used to be a big event. It still is - but we seem to be keener on looking at what is on the streaming services rather than the big set-piece TV specials.

Yes, Dr Who, Strictly Christmas Special and Call the Midwife will draw in big audiences - but will there be a moment like Angela Rippon dancing with Morecombe and Wise or Matthew Crawley being killed after seeing his son born at Downton Abbey ever again?

But I'll be quite happy to put down my pen for a few days - and I am looking forward to sharing the best of my Christmas music playlist on Suffolk Sound Radio tomorrow morning!