So here we are, slap bang in the middle of yule, still tucked snugly into the one bit of the year where time doesn’t matter and indulgence is the name of the game writes Emma Suddaby.

Regular readers will know from my annual belly-aching that I don’t do Christmas. Well, I don’t have to with no offspring to shower with guilt-gifts and – be honest – how many of you, were you in the same responsibility-free position, would do the same and throw the great Christmas swindle to the wind?

With the big day approaching I waited for the usual up-swell of indignation, eyeing the tide of tinsel and spray snow with heavy heart, dreading the arrival of the waving snowmen and the endless, circular CDs favoured by department stores with carols repeated ad infinitum.

So when I settled down to watch “King of Christmas Lights”, shown on Channel 4, I did so expecting to feel nothing but pity for the poor, inadequate souls whose lives revolve around a tacky, yearly residential light display.

But to my surprise, by the end of the show, as the crowds gathered around a boring Bristol bungalow counting down from ten and the children’s faces boggled in wonder at the lights sparkling into brilliance, transforming the street into an Arctic wonderland, I found myself crying at the beauty of it all.

I mean, I actually “got” Christmas for the first time in adulthood. I even felt that wave of brotherhood and wonder that I’ve watched other people enjoying at this time each year.

What a truly great programme, if only because it answered just why these light fanatics go to such expense and effort every year, putting on residential light displays at Christmas. I’ve always scoffed at their complete and total dedication to their annual cause before, but now I salute them and their tacky, blow-up Nativity scenes – at least they’re trying.

Because what these unlikely holiday heroes taught me about the festive season is that it doesn’t just happen around you. If you sit around wondering what all the fuss is about, you won’t ever get it. You actually have to make a mental choice to feel Christmassy and all the trimmings, the tinsel and the lights and the traditional turkey feast are really just props intended to help us make that transition.

So this year, for the first time in a long time, I actually understood Christmas – even better, I finally understand the nation’s growing obsession with flashing icicle lights, neon Santa sleighs and the like. Hell, I can even drive past a waving snowman without turning tail and running for the hills.

The miracle of Christmas, courtesy of Channel 4!

A happy new year to everybody out there, and here’s to a softer, more balanced and well-rounded me . . . oh no, not another resolution I’ll never stick to…

Read more of Emma’s views on her blog, www.emma-suddaby.co.uk