This post from Nicholas Bate is a few days old, but it’s worth bearing in mind during the January sales season:

Don’t  go.

Don’t even think about it.

Absolutely definitely don’t go.

If you are asked, you can’t go because you are fishing/at the gym/building an extension/sleeping/writing a novel/in surgery/doing surgery/surfing/meditating/making cheese& pickle sandwiches….

You know it makes sense.

Don’t go.

Just don’t.

The full post is available here.