Christmas is over and it is timeto look forward to the coming New Year.

It is hard to believe that 2023 is upon us. It cannot be almost quarter of a century since we celebrated the arrival of the new millennium.

The tree and decoration are still there and, if you are still eating leftovers, I bet you are longing for something simple by now. Beans on toast never looked so good!

Some of today's archive photos show the complete madness of those many people who celebrate the New Year with a dip in the Solway!

In many - or most cases - it is done in the name of chairty as is so much out west.

But that doesn't make it any less crazy!

Scottish comedian Billy Connolly does an hilarious sketch about the pain of entering the North Sea during the summer holidays because it was so bitterly cold. That was in summer! After the recent Arctic conditions we have endured in this prt of the world I know that the foolhardy will still go in for their dip and charities will still be grateful. 

We also feature the babies who arrive on Chistmas and in the New Year.

I have used a photo before but we had to repeat one of our own Member of Parliament Trudy Harrison, who not only gave birth to the first West Cumbrian of the New Year, but also of the new millennium.

Savannah, like the other babies, can be sure that nobody will forget their birthdays but it is also possibly a pain to have to celebrate your special annual event when much of he rest of the world is celebrating theirs.As the grandmother of a Boxing Day baby,the answer is quite simple. He and I celebrate his birthday in July. 

The late Queen had wo birthdays - her official one and the one she shared with the rest of us. Rise up, Christmas and New Year babies and demand a midyear event - with plenty of gifts on both days,or course!

So these photos are our offerings for the New Year.  While you are preparing to freeze your toes off, planning all those New Year resolutions which will not be kept, or just welcoming the new year with a party, we wish you all you would wish yourself in 2023,