6 DECEMBER 2008, Page 79

Q. I work by day in communal artists’ studios, the

temperature of which is subzero and noisy with rats, and everyone is feeling the onslaught of the credit crunch. There seems to be nothing uplifting politically, financially — or even romantically for that matter. With the most sentimental occasion of the year just around the corner, Mary, how can we keep our spirits up?

Name withheld, London W11 A. Cheer everyone up by the simple expedient of buying bunches of mistletoe to hang over every door. This childish method of promoting intimacy and possibly triggering romances has never failed to lift spirits since the tradition of kissing under it was first introduced.