Christmas has always been for me a time to reflect on all the different jobs I've had. It's the Christmas parties that bring it home to me. There I am again, drinking and eating and wearing silly hats and pulling crackers with my work colleagues, and they're different work colleagues to the ones last year, who were different to the ones a few years before that.

And even though for the last two years I've been working by myself so I've had no work Christmas parties to go to, I'm still sitting here thinking about them all.

So today I want to wish a Merry Christmas to all the people with whom I've shared a mince pie and a glass of wine in those work Christmas parties of the past.

In the Sun Alliance actuarial department, Hugh (my first boss, mad on bridge), Ian T (his boss, just mad), Ants and Keith and Carol, Ian who sat opposite me, with whom we secretely came in and decorated the office, and Jane, of course, who sat opposite me later, and who I went out with.

In IBM, Robin, who I'm pleased has got back in touch, and Graham, with whom I spent many a happy hour wandering around Kensington.

At TSL, David C is the one man who's remained a friend these 20 plus years, but also Roger and Roz, David W, Alan and Paul, presumably somewhere in Italy. Karl, presumably somewhere in South Africa, Ken (who always *just* beat me at badmington), Nilesh (who always *just* beat me at squash) and Martin, who was kind enough to offer me contract work when I first started "going it alone".

At GEC there was Karen and Ian and Allan (I believe it was two Ls) and a second hardwarey-Ian. There was also Vince, plus a friend of an Ian living in Brighton who put me in touch with the Ian that lives in Brighton who then did me a massive favour lending me all his Doctor Who tapes.

Case / Dowty / Cray started with Sean, who then left, Bob (the only manager ever to give me a massage!), Lewis (with whom I I disagreed on almost everyhing), Derek who worked with me on the FDDI Concentrator, Imerio, Richard P, Richard J and Paul K, the last of two became good friends, and Roger, of course (how could I ever forget Roger). Peter V and Niels in Denmark, and Mogens with his nice monogrammed shirts.

Back in Network Managers there was Chris and Richard, and some of the old TSL crew, and Euphrosene, and Jacqui and Zug, with whom I was set to work on the next generation of software until I got head-hunted. I was always very sad to leave you.

Network People, then Viewgate, Roland and David, Daniel and Dom and Dominique. Merry Christmas wherever you are. Levon, hope you are well. Sanders, one day I will prove to you that having an ambition of writing award-winning software is a good one for an engineer. Maureen, Paul, Jeff and David, Karl and Jason - it was a shame we couldn't carry on what we were working on. Mark and Paul. Merry Christmas to you all.

Up here in Newcastle, Craig and Nick (hope your shoes have stopped hurting you), wherever you may be. Julian (I still refuse to do my top button up), Tracy and Steve (best project leaders anywhere), Marje and Keith, Bill and Jeff and Geoff and Tony (though you liked winding me up), David (the well-read) and Alison. Later Mark and all the guys at Lytham, Judith (how I could I forget you, I'm so pleased we're still in touch), Julie and all the folk in Preston.

I'm sure, of course, I'll have forgotten someone, and sometimes I can see the face but can't remember the name.

But anyway - Merry Christmas to you all.

Richard