The festive urge to text my ex has struck – so I asked a counsellor what to do | Anya Ryan

Boredom, nostalgia, good cheer ... there are all sorts of reasons we send the Long time no speak, how are you?' message at this time of year

There's a chill in the air, but it's not just the December cold. As inevitable as the twinkling lights or gingerbread men, an unmistakable urge is making itself known. My fingers are twitching. I'm crafting the perfect opener in my head. That's right: I'm starting to wonder whether I should text my ex-partner.

Since the last time we saw each other, earlier this year, I have been strict with myself. I drew a solid, impassable line between us, and I was happy about it - tearing our lives apart was difficult enough without the added confusion of staying in touch. But surrounded by a sea of hand-holding couples in matching Christmas jumpers, tunes that celebrate happy twosomes and twinkling skies of fairy lights, I might be having doubts. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to wish him a merry Christmas? Check in? Catch up? Reminisce together about the good times?

Anya Ryan is a freelance journalist