Merry Pissedmas

This amusing face caught my eye when I flicked through Monday's London Evening Standard. Its label is Merry Pissedmas and it draws attention to an appalling load of trivia by Phoebe Luckhurst, who regards December as one long hangover. Her advice is to revel in it, order fry-ups straight to your door, buy expensive hair-of-the-dog alcoholic mixtures and iffy salves for the bags under your eyes (CLICK). Tongue-in-cheek or not, this is trite, irresponsible journalism at its very worst. Drunken young women are likely to get raped or arrested in the streets when caught tottering about or fighting. And only alcoholics need a hair of the dog. A hangover is caused by dehydration and the best cure is a pint of fresh water. Make it fruit juice if you prefer.