Ho ho hoThey say that Christmas, like the bailiffs, seems to come round earlier every year. So far as I've been able to discern it has remained pretty well locked on 25 December, but I would have to agree that we are reaching the time of year when most sensible people's priorities shift from giving the boss the impression that work is going on to forgetting about work entirely and stocking up on egg nog and party invites. While that would ,of course, be normal behaviour as the festive season approaches, I would counsel caution to any revellers in the Philadelphia area as I hear news of a very strange double act appearing at PHLX in the near future. As soon as 6 December, in fact, the opening bell at the exchange is to be rung by none other than Saint Nick himself - which is a little early...