![Smile :)](images/smilies/smile.gif)
In addition to the usual festive wishes, I want to add something for the record.
It's been a difficult year, and I'm not alone in that. I have no contact with my parents and little with my sisters. I have almost no friends outside of work, and my work mates are a surrogate family to me. Christmas is always difficult, and this is one of the lowest ebbs I have ever had. I want you all to know that you mean something to me: this site, which I've belonged to for about 12 years, means something to me.
You are my friends and my family, also. I'm not truly alone, no matter how lonely I feel now.
I wish you all, your families and your loved ones a great holiday and all my hopes for the New Year. I love you all very much.
![Smile :)](images/smilies/smile.gif)