I had one of those moments parents dread this week. Just as I was putting the kids to bed my eldest, aged 7, asked “Does Father Christmas really bring us the presents, or is it you and mummy who get them?”

The question took me aback, and I’m afraid my reply was the rather unconvincing fluff of “Well, what do you think? It’s magic.”

She said to me “Look me in the face and say that, so I can see if you are lying.”

I was most conscious though that this was all in earshot of her 3-year-old brother. It’s been my policy not to lie to my children about anything. If they’ve asked where babies come from or questions about religion they get a very biological or honest answer. “Well some people believe Jesus was the son of God. But daddy doesn’t believe that.”

However, Father Christmas, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy all make an appearance in our household - which I guess makes me a bit of a hypocrite on the honesty front.

I was pleased today to find out I’m not alone, here is a lovely little collection of what parents tell their kids about Santa which is well worth your time.

The idea that NHS treatment should be denied or delayed for people who can be blamed for their condition is poisonous. It will lead to the end of an NHS founded on the principle that treatment is free for all, when they need it, regardless of their status, their worth, their morals, their state of mind. It didn’t surprise me that lot of smug people wrote comments after my piece praising the Vale of York NHS, backed by Downing Street, for putting obese people and smokers to the back of the queue. People like to feel good about themselves by imagining they are superior to others, the unlucky, the addicted, or the unworthy. Which of us, really, is so virtuous? Let’s have empathy and support for the people who need it most when they are ill and treat everyone according to need.

Samantha Cameron’s intention to launch her own fashion label has been the worst-kept secret in fashion. This week it was confirmed with an announcement that the Cefinn brand will go on sale early next year. So far, all we have to go on are two outfits, and the fact that the brand logo is eyebrow-raisingly close to the Celine font. More details will be in the January issue of Vogue, which is out on Monday. But the news got me thinking: why is it that we are so fascinated by the wardrobes of public figures? And what does using a spell in Downing Street as a launchpad for a fashion or lifestyle brand say about modern politics?

The nation’s wombs were a battleground this week, as the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recommended that sufferers of severe pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) should be offered cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

The severe form of PMS affects about 2% of women, and is defined by psychological symptoms that interfere with work, school performance or relationships. According to the experts, CBT is a more effective treatment than antidepressants. Which sounds fair enough. But, of course, no.

Along with some fierce debate about the physical v psychological root of the issue, some interesting cultural questions were raised. Are we failing women by not treating PMS seriously? Are we trying to pathologise womanhood? Can our cash-strapped NHS afford to offer this kind of treatment? Can it afford not to? Do talking therapies work anyway? Can we have one damn story about periods that doesn’t prompt a load of sexist, sniggering comments? Let’s hear your thoughts...

Campaigners are putting pressure on the Bank Of England, urging it make the new £5 note vegan friendly. The response from the Australian pioneer of the polymer bank note? Well, he says they are being “stupid”.

Many readers don’t agree, and feel the bank should be more sympathetic – and perhaps more transparent.

troyk

02 December 2016 3:02am

I think it’s a reasonable demand that people who abhor and won’t partake in the death or suffering of animals to ask for alternative to a product they have no choice but to use.
It’s funny how easily people can trivialise others’ beliefs when they’re not their own.

But some of you are pointing out just how little of the material is in the notes.

_wookie_

02 December 2016 3:07am

Vice did the maths on this:

And if you get about 40kg of tallow-worthy fat from the average cow, how many cows would you need to make every single £5 note in circulation?

JUST OVER HALF OF ONE COW

Maybe these nutjobs should campaign to only use tallow from a cow that died from natural causes if it still bugs them?

What do you think? Share your thoughts below.

We talked lunch this week, something that – perhaps because this feature runs around midday on a Friday – often comes up below the line. More specifically, it was the office lunches and your feelings towards your colleagues’ habits that turned cogitation to conversation.

One comment that resonated with many was this, which talks of presenteeism culture invading the lunch hour.

mad4plaid

28 November 2016 1:51pm

This comment has been chosen by Guardian staff because it contributes to the debate

Even though my co-worker re-heats fish at her desk (gag), she actually makes fun of me/picks on me for "taking a lunch break" (as she calls it) because I leave the office for lunch.

That is what I find most depressing about the al desko (as the author calls it) trend. It makes leaving the office something to be ashamed of, whether it is your right to do so or not: many appear to think you are not working hard enough because you've left your desk for lunch

Part of the problem where I live (middle of the US) is that office buildings are not built with cafeterias or a break room anymore. Thus if you are bringing your lunch in, eating at your desk is the only solution.

Working during your lunch hour? This commenter agreed that this was the problem to tackle rather than stray odours.

YojimboBeta

28 November 2016 2:01pm

Never mind the smell - it's working during your lunch that should be socially unacceptable. Previous generations worked hard to get us mandatory lunch breaks, but we willingly erode these rights with the creeping expectations of 'professionalism' - a mythology of sacrifice and work obsession that negates our own interests.

And also away from the whiffs of reheated dinners, the sound ...

ReggieHammond

28 November 2016 1:17pm

Less bothered by smells (unless they are incredibly vile) and more bothered by people who; eat with their mouth open / have weird clicky jaws / make weird munching sounds / take 2 hours to consume lunch.

I quite like having a nose and seeing what everyone's eating.

What do you think? Do you agree that we shouldn’t be eating at our desks? What foods go too far if you are chowing down above the keyboard? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Today’s political news might be all about the Liberal Democrats’ win in Richmond Park, but next week a byelection happens in very different political territory. The Sleaford and North Hykeham constituency is in the Brexit heartland of Lincolnshire, and 62% of people in the relevant local authority area voted to leave the EU (in Richmond, 70% supported remain). As part of the Anywhere But Westminster series, I went there not to cover the electoral race – this is a very safe Tory seat – but to find out how the aftershocks of the EU referendum were playing out far from the capital.

With my journo partner John Domokos, I found a deep generational divide, lots of Brexit voters who wanted the UK to get out of Europe as a matter of urgency, and also something much more complicated and challenging: a deep, emotional link between support for Brexit and strong feelings about the decline of community and solidarity, and simple loneliness. For anyone who thinks the leave vote was essentially reducible to nastiness and xenophobia, this film may serve as some kind of corrective; more generally, we think it’s not a bad picture of a very troubled England, and leave and remain voters united by one key thing – a pronounced fear of the future (oh. and some of what it explores probably also applies to Trump voters).

What does the Lib Dem victory in Richmond mean? Could a pro-EU message take a swathe of seats from the Tories? This graph by pollster James Kanagasooriam suggests that around 20-25 seats have enough people who voted Remain to overturn the Tory majority from 2015, so would be vulnerable to a similar swing – even without any drop in Tory popularity more generally.

The question then becomes, can Labour take advantage? The Lib Dems are well placed – there are very few loyalists not in favour of staying the EU. Labour has a whole other problem with a swathe of northern Labour seats with large leave majorities. If Corbyn pivoted to an anti-Brexit, block Article 50 position he might win over a few Tory seats, but he’d surely leave the north exposed to Ukip’s message that Labour is out of touch. That it wants to defy the will of the people and simple doesn’t understand what its base wants.

It’s a pickle for the Labour leadership to be sure – and one that is unlikely to be easily solved, which means the Liberal Democrats will be the only progressive party able to take advantage of the Brexit schism in the country. If they take enough seats from the Tories, and Labour can hold on to what they’ve got at the next general election a progressive coalition government could be a possibility – which I would suggest makes the chances of an early election slim. The risk is simply too great for a prime minister with a small majority and a reputation for playing it safe.

This week a report claimed that poor sleep costs the UK £40bn a year. People sleep badly, go into work, and with foggy heads do their best. But, whatever your job, such days are less productive than they should be.

If only we could all sleep seven to nine hours a night, the UK would be wealthier. (The figures also showed a sharp impact of sleeplessness on productivity in the US, Japan, Canada and Germany.) Some companies provide napping areas. Others try to make the workplace feel homely.

But isn’t the real problem the endlessness of the working day, now revolving tirelessly around a world clock, the greed with which work wants to swallow the rest of our lives, so we stare at our smartphones when we should be sipping camomile and reading Marilynne Robinson?

Do you, like this reader, remember better times?

JustanOldFool

30 November 2016 1:51pm

In one of my first jobs about thirty years ago, one of the manager's I worked for used to have a short nap in his office after lunch. But those were definitely different, less pressured times.

Share your thoughts below.

We look forward to getting started. This is a space for our readers to discuss the week’s news and comment articles, with input from writers above the line. It’s been an eventful week, and we will talk about everything from the sleeplessness epidemic to the Richmond byelection. Join us now – and if you have any questions or comments about this feature get in touch (sarah.marsh@theguardian.com)