‘Tis the season to be jolly.

If 2012 hasn’t already given you sufficient reason to be so, there’s still time to start!

We’ll be taking a look back at the highs and highs of a year of unprecedented success for British cycling, and asking you to cast your votes in a host of categories in the RCUK Survey, nominating the RCUK bike, rider, and team of the year, to name just three, for the chance to win up to £375 worth of cycling goodies.

With Christmas now just weeks away, we’ll be publishing a series of gift guides, ranging from money-no-object items that might give even Santa Clause pause for thought, to last minute stocking fillers for which you might leave subtle hints for your nearest and dearest.

In among all the seasonal gladness, we’ll be pressing on with the, ahem, hard work of reviewing products.

Bikes this month are all 2013 offerings. We have the Felt Z2, second in line to the American manufacturer’s performance bike throne; a full carbon offering equipped with SRAM’s top-of-the-heap Red groupset. Wilier’s Cento Uno SR is very much a racing thoroughbred and the machine ridden this year by Lampre-ISD in the WorldTour peloton. Ours is dressed in Campag Athena and waiting to be tested. Vivelo are a Spanish brand, perhaps familiar to those who watched the Vuelta as supplier to the Caja Rural team of stage 15 winner, Antonio Piedra. We’ll be testing their Shimano 105-specced Arc RS.

Another Spanish brand features in this month’s clothing line-up. We’ll be testing bibtights, base layer, long-sleeved jersey, and jacket from Summatory, with further winter clothing arrived for test from long-established supplier to the peloton, Santini, and another Italian manufacturer, Northwave.

Our winter-specifc gear schedule of lights and indoor trainers will continue with rollers and turbo trainers from Elite, Kinetic, and Tacx, and a selection of front and rear lights from Exposure, Hope, and Light and Motion.

While many of us will doubtless indulge in an intense period of carbo loading this month, the hardy breed that fill their winters with cyclo-cross racing will continue their campaigns throughout the festive period. We’ll bring you reports and the striking images of Balint Hamvas from the UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup.

The RCUK winter bike build will reach its conclusion, with the addition of wheels, tyres, seatpost, saddle, and mudguards, removing our final excuse to remain warm and comfortable indoors this Christmas.

We’re having difficulty keeping pace with the constant flow of entries in the RCUK photo competition. Your sending them faster than we can post them on the RCUK Facebook page. Keep ’em coming! The best pictures in each of 10 categories will be chosen and the winners of prizes from jackets to sportive entries announced on Christmas Eve.

Whatever your doing this Christmas, ride safely, enjoy the season, and stay tuned to RCUK.