It's time for some crystal ball gazing. Like every hack, from food critic to futon reviewer, we would like to indulge in a few Christmas predictions of our own.
How about more traffic chaos, more griping from the greens over every inch of extra tarmac that's built, and, hopefully, more good-looking fast cars? Okay, so we're not on a par with Nostradamus.
Oh, yes - one more prediction: this time next year, the hundred or so image-conscious motorists who buy new Tigras in 2005 will be seeking to track down the engineer responsible for the car's boot mechanism and have him moulded into the cubbyhole in the back of the car by a couple of heavy-set mobsters.
Even the most pacifist, thoughtful and caring citizen would be driven to frenzied blood lust for whomever came up with this ridiculous electro-hydraulic system. But let's not let the red mist distract us from the overall allure of the new Tigra just yet.
This little Opel is indeed a fetching piece of engineering. The previous model was starting to look decidedly dated, and the advent of full-metal convertibles such as the Peugeot 206CC meant it lacked some of the fancy gadgetry the others had.
Opel, to its credit, didn't just lop off the tin top and relaunch the car. The designers went back to the drawing board and came up with a car that bears the styling of its good-looking Astra sibling. Indeed, at its unveiling at the Geneva Motor show it was voted Cabrio of the year.
It's low-set lines and tidy rear end give it a racy feel. The result is a real eyecatcher which will certainly appeal to singles who don't need more than two seats and like the option of open-top motoring.
For all the growth in people carriers and SUVs, there has been a steady climb in convertible sales in recent years. Just look at the waiting list for the Mini convertible, the fashion accessory among younger "ladies who lunch."
While the 206cc has been around for some time (we can expect a replacement late into next year), it nonetheless has done really well for the French marque. It reawakened a passion for open-top motoring among those unprepared to accept the compromises one must often make with soft-tops - a feeling of reduced security, increasingly noticeable wear and tear and the risk of puncture and leakage. Warranted or not, these worries featured strongly on the forecourts.
The advent of the electronic hard-top put these concerns to rest and, over the years, even the mechanics of these devices have improved so dramatically that you wondering why every car doesn't have such an option. The answer, of course, is the significant weight of the extra mechanics and space needed to house the folded metal.
The Tigra's roof mechanism couldn't be easier to use. At the touch of a button the roof pops up and folds to the gentle whine of a few efficient motors. Roof gone, the car looks every bit the modern two-seater version of the old-style sports cars. The wave-like roll bar on the back only adds to the look.
Inside, however, is not so fetching. It can't be faulted on functionality, but there's none of the exterior panache. Yet taking its cue from the Corsa and the Astra, the controls are easy to hand.
There's a large cubbyhole behind the seats. To get to it you fold the seats forward, but for some reason the lever is in the middle rather than at the doorside as in most other cars.
The driving position is comfortable and the gearstick is nicely to hand, with a good short-throw box. Overall, it's a nimble little performer. The turning circle could be better, but the Tigra does manages to nip along at a tidy pace. The relatively short wheelbase means little roll in corners and you feel close to the rear bumper, resulting in a certain go-kart feel.
The 1.4-litre engine does surprisingly well considering that all those extra motors for the roof mean the car weighs 168kg more than the equivalent Corsa. Outright performance may not be its forte, but then again this sort of wind-in-your hair motoring is more about winding along suburban streets with the roof down.
The decision to go for a smaller engine than many rivals will also mean savings on fuel and road tax, and it still manages to output a sprightly 90bhp, with a combined consumption of 46.3mpg.
So a good all-rounder, stylish exterior, competent performance and decent driving experience. Why then will the owners be so annoyed? It's the boot.
Fancy hydraulics and electronics do the work of removing the roof, but it doesn't just vaporise. It ends up folded neatly into the boot, where it takes quite a bit of space. Opel claims 250 litres of space with the roof down and 470 litres with the roof up. We have to take their word for it.
The problem is that, while the space may be there, it's awkwardly shaped around the roof mechanisms, so only soft pliant bags will fit. Opel offers a three-piece fitted luggage set for €189.34. Our advice is to make sure it's part of the deal.
But boot space isn't the real problem - nobody expects estate-like volume from a two-seater.
This year's over-engineering award goes to the Tigra's boot mechanism. Some boffins at Opel with too much time on their hands decided that, instead of letting us open and close the boot ourselves, they would make it electronic.
However, someone from the anti-car lobby clearly got their hands on the project. Simply put, to open the boot you must hold your finger on the button as the motors slowly whine into action and the bootlid crawls upwards. To close, repeat procedure.
If you take your finger off the button, the whole operation stops and what happens next is up to the system's vagaries. The most likely outcome is you have to repeat the entire procedure, while expanding your vocabulary of expletives.
The mind-numbing experience takes about seven seconds in each direction. Sounds fast until you consider how long it normally takes to close a boot - grab handle, slam, done.
Imagine your in the car park, weighed down with shopping in a torrential downpour. You push the button with the only finger that doesn't have a plastic bag hanging from it. One, two, three . . . seven. Dump in your shopping and then hold the button again. One, two, three . . . seven.
If you skip the system and close the boot yourself, it's likely that you'll break the mechanism and face an expensive repair job.
In the end the Tigra is an image-driven car. But there is some substance behind the style and we enjoyed our time in its company. Just don't use the boot.