So here we are again, Christmas!

At the moment, I’m not a great fan of it, not because I don’t like it, I do, it’s just a bad time of the year memories wise and that’s all! It’ll take time to be comfortable with it again because Christmas to mid January went from happy and looking forward to the worst day of my life – that’s all, it’ll pass in time and besides, I’m ok, I have plenty to smile about!!

I see the excitement building building in faces young and old alike and can’t help but smile! If I have a criticism it’s the shameless commercial spin that the media puts on it, more aggressively each year, it seems to me!

Folk want to do their best for their kids, naturally, and kids want the latest and greatest things, again naturally – they see what their friends get, the media targets them with no conscience whatsoever and in these times of austerity the corporations happily take the food out of your mouth and the shirt off your back in return for your hard earned cash – they couldn’t care less that you can’t afford it, in fact it suits them that you can’t afford it because then they can flog you a credit account in order to fleece you for interest without ever paying much off the actual balance.

Being the youngest of four by ten years I admittedly got more for Christmas than my siblings; Scalextric, Subbutteo (World Cup ’74 Edition – with floodlights) an original Space Hopper (which some say I still resemble??) and my all time favourite – my purple Chopper (the bike, not a medical condition!) I think it was fair, it kind of offset the fact that I spent much of the time up to about eight years old not only ginger, but with a lazy eye, a patch on the good eye and the old NHS specs – I walked into a LOT of lamp posts!! If you think you’ve had fun made of you, I’ve got you beat hands down, I’ve heard everything – and this is why I’m the well adjusted, level headed “adult” I am today – I say adult loosely of course!

So yeah, I deserved it!

I’m not religious at all so the story of the “Baby Jesus” is lost on me but it’s a holiday so I’ll take it. I’ll spend it how I see fit, I will be sad so I’m loathe to spend it pretending to be otherwise. That’s not a slight on anyone else, it’s just how I feel – heart on my sleeve, no bottling of emotions!

…And to be perfectly honest I’ll probably take a look at the TV schedule for Xmas day and gatecrash whoever I think has the most booze in – a bit like Santa except I can’t wear red on account of the ginger barnet, they clash (and I won’t drop down the chimney)!

Anyway, enjoy the hell out of the break, however you see fit, wherever you are in the world, I know I will!

Cheers everybody!!