"Well, I'm sure you don't like all the same movies I do," Martha pointed out pragmatically. "It's a matter of opinion, that's all." Not to mention that she'd actually lived the moral of the story, which rather tended to make things lose their lustre. (And she hadn't even had a guardian angel, which seemed totally unfair.)

"So Christmas elves. Do they exist, d'you think?" she contemplated out loud. "And if so, are we talking like...happy midget elves or Orlando Bloom elves. 'Cos I know which one would give me a Merry Christmas."