There seems to be a sort of end-of-term mania sweeping the country this week. From peers to politicians to pastors they've all been at it.

Christmas is of course a time when we look back and reflect on what has gone before, so here goes.

We've had bent lords a-leeching, vain MPs chiselling, late greaseballs preying, serving coppers lying, sacked Serco whining, live spooks a spying, more fawning berks, three dense Lib Dems, a slew of Tory twerps and apartheid deniers on the TV.

Still at least they're in the festive mood, sort of.

But more of that later. Christmas is also all about the children, seeing their smiling little faces light up with joy, or, in at least one case crumple in terror.

Which brings us to the soon-to-retire Reverend Simon Tatton-Brown.

Tatton-Brown took it upon himself this week to tell a primary school Christmas assembly that Santa didn't exist.

Woah, hold on there Rev - you're getting on to seriously dangerous ground when you start bandying around ideas regarding made-up constructs.

For a grown man who preaches that the Bible is the exact word of God to say Father Christmas is a myth is a bit rich.

A man who also espouses the claim that all our actions are governed by a bloke with a beard who we can't see because he's invisible but is nonetheless everywhere.

This column has seen Santa but it hasn't seen God.

Rev Tatton-Brown then went on to add that the kindly character beloved of kiddies everywhere was in fact based on a gory legend about the saint, who brought three murdered children back to life.

Sleep tight little 'uns!

Christmas is like Glastonbury for the God squad, although the songs aren't as good.

There are other similarities too. Both are hijacked pagan traditions now forever tainted by manipulation, consumerism and rapacious capitalism.

The clergy always get a bit giddy at this time of year though.

Who can forget the incident from a few years back involving a somewhat tired and emotional bishop of Southwark after a livener or two at the Irish embassy?

The bish left the shindig only to be found rummaging through the back seat of a stranger's car throwing their kids' toys out of the window.

When the car's owner quite reasonably enquired exactly what the bloody hell he was doing he replied: "I'm the Bishop of Southwark, that's what I do."

That clears that up then! Except...

He then somewhat unsteadily tottered off before colliding with a bridge and knocking himself unconscious.

The next day, sporting a shiner worthy of Lennox Lewis, he claimed he had been mugged but could not recall the incident.

However the misdemeanours of this pair pale into insignificance compared to those of Andrea Minichiello Williams, the founder of Christian Concern.

Williams, an elected member of the Church of England general synod, spoke at a conference in Jamaica to lobby against the repeal of the Caribbean island's controversial law banning gay sex, claiming it was "against God and destroys our families."

She went on to claim that it's a "big lie" that homosexuality is inborn and blamed the "lack of the father" and "sometimes a level of abuse" for creating homosexual feelings, apparently citing Olympic diver Tom Daley as an example.

So much for the season of goodwill to all men!

Moving swiftly on.

They say God helps those who help themselves, in which case he must be working overtime for our politicians - not something they seem keen to do themselves.

Not only did they humbly accept a whacking great pay rise but they also decided to work fewer days next year while at the same time slashing wages and making sure we all have to work until we die.

On the plus side this might mean they have less time to destroy the country, but I wouldn't bank on it. It probably just means they'll do an even more half-arsed job than usual.

And speaking of jobs for life, albeit of a much more comfortable variety, it would appear that there are those in the upper house who felt their existence was not luxurious enough.

Tory peer Lord Hanningfield was revealed to have been clocking in to Parliament for just 20 minutes a day so he can claim £300 in taxpayers' cash.

While Labour peer and former minister Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate was suspended after agreeing to set up an all-party parliamentary group after being approached by undercover reporters who claimed to be acting as lobbyists.

Ulster Unionist Lord Laird was also stung, being caught on camera saying he would gladly accept cash for "parliamentary services."

The staunchly Ulster Scots-advocating peer offered to arrange for parliamentary questions to be asked in return for a fee of £2,000 a month.

What exactly is Ullans for "massive backhander?"