WELL, hasn’t it been quite the eventful couple of weeks?

What with all the global unrest, political turmoil and general shock at changes to the design of a certain chocolate bar, there’s been a lot going on.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m often stuck for a topic when it comes to writing a column, but there’s been something of an embarrassment of terrors to consider this month so this one should be fairly easy. The problem is, so much has already been written and said about recent events, it’s tough to say anything new.

So then, where to start… some words of comfort in these troubled times, perhaps?

Here goes.

We’re nearly there, folks, we’ve almost made it through 2016. We all held on tight as chaos reigned, we all took cover as the proverbial hit the proverbial, and we’re now past the middle of November. That means there are only six weeks of this absolute fiasco of a year left to endure.

Obviously, I realise the problem with those particular words of comfort is that if 2016 has taught us anything, it’s that we shouldn’t take anything for granted. The next six weeks could still contain so many tragic or unexpected events – even if it’s just the death of a beloved celebrity we’ve never met – that there’s still a decent chance we’ll be weeping into our eggnog before we’ve had chance to open half a dozen doors on our advent calendar, let alone before we nervously sing Auld Lang Syne with one eye on the sky for approaching meteors (no doubt attracted to the planet by the super moon we’ve all been cooing over this week - 2016 giveth, and it taketh away).

And there’s the second problem with those words of comfort – it’s a stark reminder that Christmas, whether you like it or not, is well and truly on its way. Not even two paydays left before the big day folks, depressing I know, but that’s pretty much how I look at it.

Personally, I’m sort of at the point of acceptance with that at the minute – although that two-month head start on gift shopping I had done for the first time ever ended up being returned, so it was back to the drawing board – but while I always feel spoiled and blessed while celebrating the festive period, this year I suspect that feeling will hit harder than ever.

After everything we’ve seen or experienced this year – hatred and murder on the streets of the UK, terrorist attacks around the world, and the normalisation and damn-near celebration of the far right around the world – it seems more obscene than usual that most of the world will be gorging itself in front of festive telly repeats while those less fortunate than ourselves queue up at foodbanks, rely on the generosity of others, or make do with whatever they can scavenge in the ruined remains of their city.

Still, it’s coming nonetheless, and so is the end of this awful year.

Of course, it’s possible I’m being a little too pessimistic. Maybe this year hasn’t been bad for everyone?

Come to think of it, tiny-handed narcissists and hypocritical supposed Euro-sceptics who benefit from either MEP pensions or cabinet jobs dealing with EU countries have done pretty well out of the last 12 months. So for them, nuclear bunker and canned food salespeople, and right-wing media outlets, 2016 has been a belter.

So maybe I should try to be more optimistic – the glass isn’t half empty, it’s half full, right? Still, when it’s half full of untreated sewage like 2016 has been, it doesn’t really pay to be optimistic, I’d rather it be all empty.

But 2017 is within our grasp, it’s close, and by crikey, it’ll have to go a long way to shake the world like this year did. Maybe everything will be fine? Perhaps having a misogynist reality TV star who’s a tax-dodging real estate mogul with no political experience backed by creationist white supremacists in charge of the most powerful country in the Western World won’t be the worst thing that’s ever happened?

Hopefully, the triggering of Article 50 will pull the country together and we’ll rediscover our humanity to unite and make things work in a New England. Maybe, just maybe, we’ll end up with a Government that wants what’s best for the majority of the people, and an opposition party that isn’t too busy punching itself in the face to act as an effective opposition.

Still though, I’m getting ahead of myself – we’ve got to survive the next few weeks first. While the 750-odd words I’ve just written were (more or less) tongue in cheek, and intended to be taken with a pinch of salt, I mean the next three words from the bottom of my heart...

Good luck everyone.