Just wanted to say if anyone's interested that the really bright star in the East at the moment is not the usual Venus or Jupiter but is in fact Mars! The brightest it will be this month until 2035.
I've never seen it like that before.
Hope you had a gift ready Ken! Just to clarify this is in the evening, for the early birds Mars is visible going down in the West in the mornings, pretty much on the same path as the moon.
For Mars watchers - the planet is going to be very bright again in the sky tonight as it is now in opposition to earth, so let's hope for a clear night and dig out your binoculars for a better view!