"Yeah" - the Meg Mathews column"

I'm on holiday already. I feel a bit guilty about this as the work is coming in thick and fast, but when I started worrying about next February's London Fashion week while my Christmas shopping list remained unfinished, I decided enough was enough. I don't want to think about next year until full to the brim with festive goodwill and brandt butter.

I need to inject a little goodwill into Supernova Heights. I've been driving Noel mad with George Michael. A ftiend of mine bought me his Outside video and for the past few weeks I have been playing it nonstop. Noel has begged me to give it a rest.

In between rewinding the video, I did manage to put up all our decorations last weekend. I still haven't a clue what I'm getting for Christmas, apart from the new Chanel 2005 handbag that Noel has promised to give - he's obviously very good at keeping secrets. I have desperately been trying to think of a big hint I can drop for Noel, but my mind is a blank - it's a good job I love surprises.

As we won't be at home on Christmas Day, we've yet to decide where and when we are going to open all our presents. If they're small enough, we might take them with us when we go skiing in France in a couple of weeks. So let's hope he doesn't buy me a car or anything like that - what with my yeti boots and thick wooly socks I'd never fir it into my suitcase.

Friends find the idea of Noel and me going skiing a bit freaky, but before you think I've turned into Fergie, I want to make it clear that we are actually going apres-skiing. I know I won't get my husband out on the slopes - and even if he did fancy going on the piste, knowing how much his fingers were insured for, I would have to battle my way through a squad of insurance men. So instead we're going to enjoy the glint of the sun on the snow while we knock back the gluhwein in a bar at the bottom of the mountain.

While we are away, our relations will be staying in the country house to look after the dogs, so we will have a proper family celebration when we get back. To make up for the fact that we are deserting them, I'm hoping the dogs will be delighted with the Aran jumpers I have bought them from Paul Smith. What a softie! After that, it's off to Java for three weeks in the new year. Life's so tough sometimes.

I certainly know what I'll be getting my mate Goldie for Christmas. An alarm clock. He's always late and it was no exception when he came to pick me up for the World Aids Day event at the Dr Martens shop in Covent Grden. Afterwards we went along to the Tatler Christmas party I helped organise at Titanic, Marco Pierre White's new venture behind Piccadily. To make sure he got the right mix, Marco had asked me to sprinkle a few interesting tables about, and as a big surprise I persuaded Billy Zane to show up. Kate Winslet couldn't make it because she was on her honeymoon, though why she let a detail like that stop her I don't know.

The evening ended quite late when we found ourselves with Sophie Dahl, Sean Pertwee et al in the studio with Nellee Hooper's band, Furslide. My best mate Fran had a go at singing, but by that time in the morning her voice sounded terrible - and after a few drinks I certainly suffered for her art the next morning.

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c 1998 Andrew Turner

aturner@interalpha.co.uk

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