Cheer up. There’s no need to be miserable.
That is, of course, a weird thing to say but stick with me because I’m going somewhere with this.
As we flick a rude gesture at 2016, which started with the usual expressions of hope but became as unrelentingly dispiriting as an EastEnders Christmas special, it’s time to shake off the gloom and focus on the story of the year.
It’s not a big story. There was more important reporting, like the humanitarian disaster of Syria’s civil war and the impotence of the international community.
And there were seismic moments, like when the British people voted to leave the EU without Googling it first, or when the American people made their own decision to mess us all up bigly. But one story was just the best.
I’m talking about the Ikea sleepovers.
It was a YouTube thing. People of a youthful persuasion were sneaking into branches of the Swedish chain to video themselves staying overnight.
This happened in countries from Scandinavia to Australia to Japan, gaining a global audience. It’s hilarious, although of course, I could never condone criminal activity, even if I do laugh at teens hiding in wardrobes and sneaking out to jump on beds.
The company’s reaction was part of the appeal. Horrified bosses issued a statement telling people to stop the “overrated” behaviour and warning they could not guarantee anyone’s safety after hours.
Having trudged around many Ikea stores, looking down at zombifying floor arrows in despair, I must say I wish I had just whooped with joy and jumped on a bed, whatever the security implications.
Which brings me to my point. Sometimes, the world seems grim. This coming year is looking tough already, with the GOP preparing a bonfire of liberties, the far right sniffing blood in elections in France and Germany and Theresa May promising Brexit, whatever it may be. We stand ready to speak out and face these times head-on.
But we must also make time for creativity, levity and – as long as nobody gets arrested – to jump on a bed, just for a laugh. Otherwise, misery wins.