I have a new job - it involves a red suit and a beard

Santa makes an appearance in our kitchen

In October, I took over from Pauline as chair of governors at the Duke of Bedford School in Thorney. There's been plenty to learn and to catch up with, but it's coming along.

One thing I didn't expect was to be asked to be Father Christmas at the school Christmas Fair. It was my worst nightmare, but I was promised there was a Santa suit and some helpers, so I said yes.

Amanda, from The Lovely Little Tearoom, lent me a suit because we'd heard the school one was a little threadbare and, with Margaret's black Hunter wellies, I looked quite good. No-one would know it was me.

I'd expected a few awkward questions: "Are you the real Santa?"  That kind of thing, but in the end, there were no dissenters or naysayers, just excited children. Only two were upset (one being Julia, whom Margaret had brought along) and the other an equally small toddler. I was able to charm her enough to give her a book, but Julia wasn't having any of this Santa chap - she made sure she kept a safe distance.

I had a good chat with most of the children. Those with dogs were very amused at the thought of their pet barking at Rudolph. Some were very earnest, but most just excited and not at all obsessed with letting me know what they wanted for Christmas. A few children said they didn't mind what they got and one girl told me she was hoping for a SIM card for her phone. Another wanted a drone and, if Santa delivered, he was planning to film aerial shots of the village and post them on his own YouTube channel. He sounded as if he should have been talking to the bank manager, not Santa.

I've a horrible feeling that the Santa job is like all those others in the village - once you done it that's it, it's a job for life.