Remember, Remember, the 10th of December

December is not everyone’s favourite time of the year with its long dark nights and short grey days, but no one can deny that the 10th of December, Nobel Day, is anything but a day of brains, beauty and glamour (not necessarily in that order).

Come early December and the Nobel Laureates of the year will descend upon the Swedish capital to deliver a series of lectures and receive their awards from the King.

The Award ceremony, held each year at the Concert Hall in Stockholm, is a formal and solemn event that preceeds a glittering Dinner and Ball at the Town Hall where the Laureates and their families together with over a thousand invited dignitaries from academia, government and business, are treated to a menu so secret it is only revealed when served.

True to tradition, us mortals who are unlikely to get an invitation ever, found ourselves hurrying home the other day to share the joy and bask in the glory of the occasion in front of the TV-set.

Balancing a tray of sandwiches on our knees, we watched as they wined and dined, and while we feasted our eyes on the gorgeous attires and adornments worn by the royals and other celebs, we forgot for a few hours the harsh realities of life relentlessly delivered to us each day by the merciless media.

And when the ball is over … well, it will soon be Christmas. So, perhaps, December is not so bad after all despite its shades of grey.