Whisper it, but the best Christmas party was on Twitter

Social media is blamed for all sorts of things but at Christmas it really comes into its own, writes Rupert Hawksley

Twitter: where the real fun is (Getty)

Not to bleat or anything but I was working on Christmas Day. I know, terribly unfair (triple pay and a case of decent claret from the editor is the least I deserve). But there was a silver lining: social media.

It’s fashionable to sign off Twitter at this time of year, usually with a self-important message along the lines of, “Won’t be on here for a few days, time to focus on the things that really matter. See you next year.” As if the rest of us care.

Well, I didn’t have that luxury (did I mention I was working on Christmas Day?) and what I discovered is that Twitter is at its very best over Christmas. The part-timers have disappeared and the conversation is all the better for it. As political writer Sam Freedman put it: “Love Christmas Day on Twitter. All the ‘I only use it for work’ lightweights gone and just the hardcore three-pack-a-day addicts left.”