It's been a big year. In and out of lockdowns - many weeks of sitting at home with no socialisation face-to-face.

I've had plenty of conversations with friends, acquaintances and interviewee subjects about the difficulty transitioning back into social situations.

The overwhelming response: it's tiring.

We could even say it's tiring before we start - trying to find some suitable clothes to wear for social occasions, buried underneath the piles of exercise clothes that you never noticed you bought throughout the pandemic.

Once you're dressed, then the dreaded 'what are we going to talk about' thoughts creep in.

What do you say to someone you haven't seen in 12 months or so? You haven't done much (thanks COVID), so there is nothing exciting to share or stories to tell.

When going out to an interview, a journalist always prepares what questions they might like to ask. Of course, the conversation could always move so you never constrict yourself to the questions, but rather use them as a guide to making sure you gather all the information you think you might need.

If applying that rule to social situations, one could easily adapt the advice to suit some pre-thought out answers you might give to those questions you know will be asked so you avoid the "not much" answer.

A tip - one thing you enjoyed, one thing you struggled with and future planning would work for any of the above question topics. Outside of social occasions and the awkward 'is it ok to kiss on the cheek and cuddle in COVID-19 times', it is important to remember to take some time out for yourself.

After all, for many, it is the only break we've had all year. And while many take some extra days off make sure you pencil in some time, just to do nothing. Yes, we've been doing 'nothing' for so long now - but we've also been dealing with a worldwide pandemic running parallel to our lives.

The Wimmera Mail-Times wishes all our readers a very Merry Christmas and we hope your day is spent creating wonderful memories to cherish.

- Cassandra Langley, senior journalist