White Christmas. Powder was found in the office of Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, the SMH has reported. Perhaps it’s makeup to go with the fishnets.

Christmas is a time for giving. If you’re stuck for holiday reading, there’s a good paper on 50 years of campaign finance by Colin Hughes from the University of Queensland available from the Democratic Audit of Australia.

Elf warning. An ACT reader queries Liberal Senator Gary Humphries’s choice of Christmas card: “This is both one of the most heartwarming yet disturbing things I’ve seen”.

Christmas greetings. I’ve been very slack this year with the Christmas cards – and, anyhow, you can’t beat Spiked’s.