Every cloud...

As one of a small skeleton staff who had to work over the Christmas and New Year break, it's taken some effort not to feel a wee bit disgruntled when I've hit the alarm button every morning and felt like the rest of Australia — my husband included — was snoring away merrily, ready to enjoy another carefree, sunny day.

However, in a desperate stab at optimism, I have managed to pinpoint a few benefits to being one of the few people working at this time of year.

Number one: public transport is a breeze! Forget bracing yourself on a bus, clinging to a pole for dear life while breathing in someone's armpit or, worse still, seething with rage as another full bus drives by without stopping. No siree, at this time of year it's straight on and take your pick of a window seat.

Secondly, I'm doing great things for my skin by staying out of the sun while everyone else is at the beach. I've passed a couple of people in the street and winced at their bright pink skin set against neon white tan lines. Of course, as my fellow skeleton staffer Dylan puts it, us office folk are afflicted with a "moon tan" instead. But at least that means fewer wrinkles, less freckles and decreased risk of skin cancer — woohoo!

And lastly (yes, sadly, I could only come up with three), I haven't had to deal with post-holiday comedown. Today in the elevator I overhead a couple of holiday-makers who have just straggled back to work. "Today is going so slowly!" groaned one. "I know, it's sooo hard to get back into it," moaned the other. I couldn't help but have a little smile to myself. Just a little one, though.