The Bright Side: Now Sarah Palin's Daughter Doesn't Even Need to Get Married

Things are looking up all over, aren't they? With the votes finally tallied, it is time for everyone to remove the rancor and bitterness from their hearts and wrap them up carefully in tissue paper for next time. All too soon the hard work of change must begin, but today we should allow ourselves a little time to be tremendously smug.

Those who voted for Barack Obama can glory in the fact that hope didn't simply triumph over cynicism, it smashed its ugly fat face in. Even Americans who didn't vote for him should be proud that they live in a country where wiser people can be counted on to cancel out their mistake. And Sarah Palin's daughter doesn't need to marry her redneck boyfriend.

This is not a moment to worry about how little your house is worth is comparison to your mortgage. It is not the time to worry about your job, your pension, the muted reaction of the markets to the election, the government deficit, possible cuts to public services, the collapse of sterling, the stability of the banking system or the large number of things George W Bush could still screw up between now and January. Nor should we brood on the fact that while America has a shiny new leader we're still stuck with the same lackluster mob.

Today should be a day of celebration. Austere celebration - don't go over the top - but celebration nonetheless. For tomorrow we must put this moment in history behind us and concentrate on what lies ahead: the official start of the 2012 US presidential campaign. Four more years!

Recession-busting tip: Save on paper and ink by solving online crossword puzzles directly on your computer screen, using a felt tip pen. Also works with sudoku!

What's going cheap right now: Hockey mom memorabilia, lighters, crushed biscuits, dishwasher salt.