 David McAlmont   The Most Depressing Day of the Year: The Not
So Depressing Truth  Posted: 21/01/2013 00:00  "If you're going
to mention us please include our number in the article."  He's
handled my call with the grace and professionalism of a press
officer who's opted out of journalism to navigate a major
charity through the choppy waters of press and media; to wit, I
am having one of the most enlightening chats of my life. He
mentions a deeply entrenched view, which many journalists have,
that every Christmas his charity's phone lines ring red-hot, but
he stresses that they're mistaken. Volunteers want to be with
friends or family at Christmas too; so the offices, like any
other offices, are not as staffed as they are normally. If
anything, the overall volume of calls declines because people
are together and hey, the drink is flowing.  Apparently, there
is anecdotal evidence available to confirm that some people do
feel worse than usual at Christmas, but those who do are not as
many as those who feel bad