I'm walking back from the pub with my younger brother Jason.

It's christmas eve and there is a heavy, dense, fog that creates an atmosphere of a fairy tale, which is entirely fitting for the night.

As we walk down the country lane, naked tree's are illuminated like skeletons as the odd car drives carefully passed us.

We've had a good night, beer and vodka in font of a fire and a christmas cd on the jukebox that has repeated too many times.

Each song beating us into submission to have a good time at christmas no matter what,the irony being that the likes of Roy,Noddy and Cliff actually make christmas unbearable.

Oh Cliff, when are you going to come out of the closet?

So my brother tells me that he wants to tell me something, but it has to be secret.

Okay I say. My curiosity piqued.

Christ, maybe I'm not the only Mary in the family after all.

How uncomfortable would that be?

So after a lot of reassurance from me he tells me that he is taking his girlfriend off to Sweden for New Years.

And?

Why all the secerecy I wonder.

He goes on to say that once in Sweden, they will fly out to the Ice hotel in Oslo (?) and he hopes to ask her to marry him under the northern lights.

Fucking Wow.

He's planned everything down to the last detail and the only other person to know is my mother.

Wow again.

We have not always got along and I'm as much to blame for that as he his, in fact I am probably more to blame.

Middle child syndrome.

Yadda yadda. I've dealt.

And I felt quite proud that he had confided in me and it was a measurement how far we had come as brothers.

And what a romantic gesture to make!

He has been going out with his girlfriend for nearly ten years now.

Which is longer than most straight marriages.

And about ten times as long as the average homo relationship.

He's a great guy and I hope he gets to ask the question under the magnificent light show of the aurora.

She'll say yes.

I know it.