Lewis Hamilton, it is safe to assume, will be having a very happy Christmas this year.
When he started his Formula 1 career in 2007, the man who became F1's youngest world champion said his one regret was that he never got to race against Michael Schumacher. Now, following the German legend's decision to come out of retirement and race for Mercedes in 2010, Hamilton can fulfil his ambition.
For those of us watching from the sidelines, Schumacher's return is an equally mouth-watering prospect.
At 41, Schumacher will not only renew his battles with Fernando Alonso - the man who beat him in a straight fight for the world title in his final season in F1 in 2006 - but start new ones with Hamilton, Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and the new world champion Jenson Button, whose cars rarely afforded him the chance to take on Schumacher before.
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The prospect of Michael Schumacher racing again in Formula 1, in tandem with his old partner Ross Brawn, has generated huge excitement and anticipation around the world but at a snow-covered Maranello this week, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemelo appeared overwhelmed instead by a mixture of surprise, frustration and wistfulness at the prospect.
"Everbody in life can do what they prefer and I understand that there is somebody at 41 years old who wants to try again," he said.
"But it's another Michael. I know Michael, and the real Michael has confirmed to me that he will finish his career at Ferrari."
It was as if the 62-year-old Italian didn't want to believe what Schumacher himself had said during their phone conversation on Wednesday.
And yet it was the seven time world champion's former boss who'd called on the German little more than four months ago to break his retirement for that abortive comeback in place of the injured Felipe Massa.
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The racing may be on hold, but Christmas is always a time of plenty for Formula 1 fans, with a plethora of books released - and this year is no exception.
I've been sent a handful, and have been busy reading them to give you an idea of what's out there.
Top of most fans' Christmas lists for years has usually been Autocourse, which has been going for decades and remains the definitive F1 annual for aficionados.
This year's book follows a well-worn theme, with a driver top 10, comprehensive reviews of each team's season, full reports from each race, and a handful of other features.
As ever, it is a very strong package.
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