TV has always been such a huge and integral part of my life. Not only do I now watch TV and film for a living, but it also forms part of my daily routine (and most of my weekends too). As much as it would be an eye-opening experiment if someone were to count how many hours in a week I spend in front of a TV screen, I think the number would simply be too high to admit out loud. And now that we’re in the strange but hilarious limbo period of Twixmas, my TV time is at an all-time high.

I don’t celebrate Christmas so, for me, the festive period is all about catching up on the TV I missed out on earlier in the year. Even though I watch enough TV to feed the consumption habits of a whole family, there are still some shows and films that have sat on my watchlist but I’ve sadly not gotten round to watching them. There are some titans of shows that I completely missed the boat on, including Succession, The White Lotus and Girls, that I still want to watch but haven’t found the time. Every time I mention that I’ve never watched Girls, I receive a collective millennial gasp.

And there have also been some brilliant debuts in 2024 that I’ve read rave reviews about but again, haven’t yet clicked play on episode one, including Agatha All Along, Rivals and Baby Reindeer. Like Girls, the mention of having not watched Rivals also tends to receive a collective gasp.

So, this year I decided to make a list to indulge in a TV holiday, if you will. Any time that a colleague in the office mentioned a show they recently loved or a friend sent me an excited voice note about a film they discovered, I added them all to my list. I wanted to use my time away in the quiet Sheffield suburbia of my parents’ house to catch up on some good old TV, as well as enjoying the Christmas television offerings too.

My notes app list mostly consisted of shows I wanted to get stuck into or finish during Twixmas before returning to London in the new year. I finally finished the last couple of episodes of The Day Of The Jackal yesterday, which was thrillingly excellent. Next up: getting into the first couple of seasons of The White Lotus before the third season lands on our screens in February 2025. I’m intrigued and excited, to say the least, as it’s by far the most recommended TV series I get sent my way.

My TV holiday list also included some films too. I’m embarrassed to say that Dune: Part Two totally passed me by so I’ve rectified that error in judgement. And I’m so glad I did because that film is a cinematic masterpiece. I also finally got round to watching Marriage Story, and I now get the 2019 awards buzz (and memes) around this film. I may be five years late, but I now appreciate and understand. The summer box office hit, Twisters, was also on my list and I enjoyed that film so much that I’ve now watched it twice this month.

For many of us, TV and Twixmas go hand in hand. But instead of mindlessly flicking through TV channels or watching the last 20 minutes of a film that’s on in the background – which I’m in full support of – I decided to use my Twixmas TV watching a little more intentionally. Because when else do we get a prolonged period of time indoors? Not often. My TV holiday has been fun, silly and, weirdly, quite educational. The White Lotus, here I come.

Images: Carnival Film & Television Limited; HBO