It can be Christmas Every Day!

Tis but one week to go folks! Surely we're all caught up in the whole Christmassy thing by now. It's the time of the year when we're all a little nicer to each other. We smile a little easier. We share a little more and we get a little more generous. For a few weeks in the year we all turn into the people we always hoped we would be.

It really is a tiny miracle in itself because this all happens just because it's Christmas. So don't waste this miracle – if you do you're going to regret it. If there's something on your mind, a spark of an idea you had about helping someone out or visiting that awkward relative, do it! If you've been thinking about doing something, but have put it off because it's not convenient or easy, make the effort and just do it! You have to do something! Now more than ever you have the chance to take a chance and get involved.

It doesn't have to be taking a blanket or a sandwich or a bowl of soup to those people that might not be as fortunate as you this time of year – but it could be if that's what's been on your mind. Whatever it is, it could just mean you just give a little of what is often seen as our most precious commodity – our time. It might well be something you wouldn't normally do, something surprising, but something that will put a smile into the heart of the person it's intended for.

And if you give a little, then this miracle can happen to you! It's not just the poor and hungry, everyone deserves a slice of this thing. And if you do it, and you get that buzz of warmth, you'll like it and you'll get hungry for it and you'll want it to happen again and again. You'll want it every day!

The song says 'I Wish it could be Christmas Every Day', but I don't think Roy Wood was talking about stuffing ourselves stupid, drinking ourselves under the table and emptying our bank accounts by buying meaningless gifts. I like to think he was talking about that spark of joy that we all get when we do something nice for someone else. 

That Christmas feeling doesn't have to be something we plug ourselves into once a year, it CAN happen every day! You've just got to want that feeling and then go and do something about it.

Do look after yourselves, and each other.
Oh and a VERY merry Christmas to you!

Close Encounters of the Santa Kind

The year is 1978, Every Which Way but Loose and Superman were on at the cinema, and it's Christmas Eve. Although this story may seem 'beyond belief', I assure you, it is in fact very true. It's proof (if any were needed) that Christmas magic isn't just for cheesy Christmas24 films but it happens everywhere in real life too (probably even where you live).

Sam was just five years old at the time, his dad worked at the local hospital in the A&E department, and was sadly working the night shift that year. This meant he and his mum were alone for the first time in Sam's life on Christmas Eve. It was difficult not having his dad there as usually he'd been able to swap shifts or take time off so they could be together.

Sam was asleep in his mum's room, having used the excuse that he was missing dad not being home. Five year-olds will use emotional blackmail as quick as you like if they think they can get away with it. Clearly Sam had. However, events were about to put all thought's of missing dad completely from his mind. Sam woke up with a start after hearing a loud bang. His mum was also sat bolt-upright in bed and looking at the ceiling. They had both heard a very loud something on the roof. Of course, being a young boy at that time, Sam naturally assumed it was Father Christmas and was about to let himself get very excited, but mum wasn't looking excited, in fact she was looking terrified and seemed convinced it may be something far more sinister.

She told Sam to stay in bed as she got up and cautiously crept up to the window and peeped through the curtains. Sam was both excited and to be honest a little afraid, but only because his mum seemed so shaken by it. Although Sam thought it could easily be Father Christmas, he also knew that it may be a burglar. His mum stood at the window and just stared, not moving and not saying a word. Sam asked her what was out there, but she completely ignored him and just carried on starring out the window towards the roof.

When she eventually came back to the bed she was shaking and had a mesmerized look on her face. Sam wasn't sure whether curiosity had just got the better of him or if he was just feeling brave and protective (he was after all the man of the house that night); either way he leapt out of bed and ran to the window. What Sam saw, all but it briefly, was indeed Father Christmas! There was no mistaking it, there he was in all his glory, there was his sleigh and all the reindeer. He only caught a glimpse, as almost as he got to the window they had flown off his roof and into the sky – it was just like you'd see on a Christmas card or a classic Santa film.

Sam felt a wave of excitement wash over him and incredibly special to have witnessed something that most kids would long to see. His mum on the other hand thought she was losing the plot. She'd immediately phoned her mum and told her what they'd seen, but Nanny Doris tried to make light of it, and said she must have just had too much to drink that night. Although she couldn't help feeling a little concerned for her daughter, as Sam's mum sounded really quite shaken by the whole thing. In truth, even Nanny Doris was a little concerned for Sam's mum's sanity.

Years passed and Sam and his mum never really talked again about that night or what either of them had seen. Sam was now in his first year of secondary school, (year 7 in new money) and his class were given the task of having to tell a Christmas story. So Sam told the one that I've just shared with you. His friends laughed at him and took the mickey of course, none of them believed his story. Things got even worse, when an upset Sam had shouted at his classmates and told them he was serious. They really didn't know what to think of Sam after that.

However, when he was leaving the classroom that day, one child (who Sam didn't recognise) came up to him and said, “You know what, I thought that was a great Christmas story. They say if someone really believes they may, at one time in their life, experience what you did.” That child then patted Sam on the shoulder and left, Sam never saw him again. Who was he? I didn't remember ever seeing him in class, or even around the school before.

As it fresh in his mind, when Sam got home that day, he had to ask his mum what it was that she had seen on that Christmas Eve. He wanted to check with her that he wasn't the fool that all his classmates seemed to think he was. As they had never talked about it, Sam didn't really know what she had seen that night. All he could remember was how quiet and shaken up she had been, and how mesmerized she had appeared. Sam wanted to know what she saw, to in fact see if I had imagined the whole thing, as so many kids do.

His mum's usual smile, that she greeted him with when he got home from school, faded from her face. She told Sam that it had been a very difficult Christmas Eve that year because dad wasn't around, but at the same time, quite a miraculous one. 

She looked down in embarrassment, then looked up at Sam and said, “Well, I hope you don't think I'm mad, at least no madder than you think I normally am, but I saw Father Christmas and his sleigh and reindeer on our roof and getting ready to taking off. Once you were asleep I even got dressed and got the ladder out the shed to have a look at the roof. The snow-covered roof had animal prints all over it and disturbed snow, where the sleigh had been sitting.” With tears in her eyes she smiled, and asked Sam what he had seen. He told her that he too saw the sleigh and reindeer as it took off into the sky. He had even heard the sleigh bells in the sky that night, and his mum admitted that she had as well. She and Sam shared a truly unforgettable and magical experience that night . . . and if you truly believe you just might too.

Put some Christmas love in your heart

[To the tune, Put A Little Love in Your Heart]

It's nearly Christmas time
We should be feelin' fine
Put a little love in your heart
You see it's nearly here
We should be full of cheer
So, put a little love in your heart

And the world will be a better place
And the world will be a better place
For you and me
You just wait and see

Think of your fellow man
Lend him a Christmas hand
Put a little love in your heart
If you want the world to know
We want the joy to flow
Put a little love in your heart

And the world (and the world) will be a better place
All the world (all the world) will be a better place
For you (for you)
And me (and me)
You just wait (just wait)
And see, wait and see

Take a good look around
Even if ya feeling down
And put a little love in your heart
So at this Chrimbletide
Let Kindness be your guide
And put a little love in your heart

And the world (and the world) will be a better place
And the world (and the world) will be a better place
For you (for you)
And me (and me)
You just wait (just wait)
And see

People, now put a little love in your heart
Each and every day
Put a little love in your heart
Could feel like Christmas Day
If ya put a little love in your heart
It's up to you
Put a little love in your heart
C'mon and
Put a little love in your heart
[FADES]
Put a little love in your heart

Lost your Christmas Tingle?

PHILOSOPHICAL PHURSDAY: Are your internal fairy lights flickering? Are you finding it tricky tracking down your tinsel-tingle? Is your festiveness feeling a little flat? A lot of people struggle to find that spark of excitement that they see others ramming down their throats. (Sorry about that) But good golly miss Holly it's Christmas time! 

Have you been left 'cold outside' by all the blatant commercialism, and yearn for a simpler time when the reason for the season felt a bit more special? Do you feel like you want to try and recapture some of that magic and wonder that the Christmas spirit brings? Well, fear not, all is not lost. 

You've bought some pressies to why not jump in your car and go and deliver them a bit earlier when it's not so much of a rush to deliver your gifts. Forget all the hustling and bustling and stress of trying to find a parking space you had to get the best deals; exchanging gifts with friends and family is one of the best things to boost your Chrimbo button.

Close your eyes (after you read this obviously). Now, imagine your best Christmas ever. It might have been when Father Christmas got you that Scalextic or bike as a kid, or maybe that Christmas Eve night when you really thought you heard the bearded big man himself as you tried to sleep. Ask yourself a question why was that special, and what did it feel like?

If it was simply that sense of wonder and how it felt like everybody was "nicer" somehow. Remember and soak in the memories you had of total belief in magic and in a man who delivers presents everyone all over the world.

Keep a smile on your face, and walk with your head up. Greet everybody—young and old, even people you might instinctively dislike—with a hearty "Merry Christmas!" Sure, you may not believe it yourself at first, but give it some time and you'll soon receive enough smiles from complete strangers to make even the hardest of hearts melt just a little.

Plus of course, it doesn't matter if you have a house full of kids, or are on your own. Enjoy the trappings of the season in any way you can.

So grab yourself your Christmas tree, turn on the Christmas music, and decorate the wotsit out of wherever you are. Once your home smells like Christmas, it's hard not to get a little excited.

"Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings!" Whether your tastes run towards the traditional Miracle on 34th Street, the classics like A Christmas Carol by Dickens (or a comedic take with Scrooged or ELF), stop-action animations like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer or Nightmare Before Christmas, Christmas telly is filled with nostalgia, humor, morality, and lots of simple fun. (Do try Chritmas24 TV channel)

Start a new tradition before the big day, so you get the chance to spend some time with friends and family that you don't get the chance to see as often as you would like. Make Christmas the excuse for a good get together and have yourself a belly full of laughs. 

And most important of all: be yourself. No matter what your faith, belief, desires, traditions, or expectations are, Christmas is about celebrating love and kindness and friends and family. So make the days coming up to Christmas as full of as much joy as you can muster and you can't go far wrong. The fountain of Christmas spirit resides in all of us, and it's up to us to let it flow freely.

Look after yourself, and each other. Oh, and Merry Christmas!

YULETIDY TUESDAY No.2. THE CHRISTMAS COAT

Jake was only 8 when it happened. So he'd raced to the top of his road to his nans house to get some answers. His big sister had just dropped a bombshell: "There is no Father Christmas!" she'd jeered, "Only babies believe in Father Christmas!"

Jake's nan wasn't the gushy kind, she never had been, but after telling his mum where he was going, Jake ran straight to her house at the top of their road that day because he knew she would be straight with him. He knew nan always told the truth, and knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her famous mince pies.

Thankfully she was home, and a fresh batch of mince pies had just come out the oven. Between tentative bites and blowing, he told her what his sister had just said.

"No Father Christmas!" she snorted. "That's ridiculous! Don't believe a word of it. That silly rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad. Now, go and put your coat back on, and let's go!"

"Go? Where are we going nan?" Jake asked. He hadn't even finished his second mince pie!

Where, turned out to be 'Davidsons' a local family run shop. Davidsons had been in the town for as long as anyone could remember and sold a little bit of just about everything you can think of. They walked through its doors, and Jake beamed at all the Christmas decorations that festooned the little shop and the big tree in the window that had a toy train running round it's base. Jake's nan then handed him £15.

"Take this money," she said, "and go and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned round and walked out of the shop.

He was only eight years old, and always went shopping with his mum, but he'd never shopped for anything all by himself. Suddenly the shop felt very big and the shelves stacked with all kinds of tempting things almost seemed to loom over him. For a few moments Jake just stood there, confused, clutching the money, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. He thought of everybody he knew: his family, his friends, his neighbors, his friends at school, even his teachers.

He was just about thought out, when suddenly one thought struck him. Shane Decker. He was the kid at school with the bad breath, funny clothes and messy hair – 'The smelly kid', and he sat right behind Jake in Mrs. Pollock's class. Shane Decker never wore a coat, even when it was freezing. Jake knew that because Shane never went out for break during the winter. His mum always wrote him a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough; but all the kids knew that Shane Decker didn't have a cough, and he didn't have a coat.

Jake looked at the money gripped in his hand with growing excitement. He would buy Shane Decker a coat. He settled on a red corduroy one with a furry lining and a hood. It looked really warm, and he knew it would be the coat that he would of chosen for himself. He didn't see a price tag, but £15 ought to buy anything surely! So Jake put the coat and the £15 on the counter and pushed them toward the lady behind it.

Mrs Davidson looked at the coat, looked at the money, and then looked at Jake. "Is this a Christmas present for someone?" she asked kindly.

"Yes," Jake shyly replied. "It's ... for Shane Decker. He's in my class, and he doesn't have a coat."

Mrs Davison smiled at Jake and took the money and put it in the till. Jake didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag and wished him a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Jake's nan helped him wrap the coat in Christmas paper with ribbons and bows, and beautiful glittery name tag. "Okay Jakey you've got to write 'To Shane, From Father Christmas' on it” His nan told him that Father Christmas always insisted on secrecy when it came to giving presents.

As they drove over to Shane Decker's house, his nan explained to Jake that he was now and forever officially one of Father Christmas' helpers. She parked down the road from Shane's house, and she and Jake crept noiselessly and hid behind the bushes by his front path.

Suddenly, Jake's nan gave him a nudge. "All right, Father Christmas," she whispered, "get going!"

Jake took a deep breath, dashed for the front door, threw the present down on the step, pounded the doorbell twice and flew back to the safety of the bushes and his nan. Together they waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Shane. He looked down, and was shocked to find the beautifully wrapped present sitting on his door step. He looked around, quickly picked up his present, took it inside and closed the door.

Forty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments Jake spent shivering, beside my nan, in Shane Decker's bushes. That night, Jake realized that those awful rumours about Father Christmas were just what his nan had said they were: Ridiculous!

Father Christmas is alive and well ... AND WE WERE ALL ON HIS TEAM!

It's a worry, isn't it!?

It's no good trying to deny it, I inherited my mothers worry gene. I've always been more of a worrier than a warrior I'm afraid, from the time I was old enough to realise there where things to worry about, I have spent my time worrying about them. Although, thankfully for everybody else, I do cope with this in the very British way of just keeping all my worries to myself and just quietly wither away inside pretending that everything is marvellous.

Worrying though, is just a natural part of the human condition. We all worry about people we care about, or our jobs, or anything that might spoil our lifestyle as we see it. Through the years it has played a vital role in our survival and it can actually help us cope with many day to day challenges. At the same time of course, if the worrying is too intense, too frequent, and too unrelenting, it can definitely cut down on our happiness and enjoyment of life in general.

We all experience the worry goblin to some extent though. We all know that nagging feeling that something is wrong and the persistent anxiety that comes with it. But what precisely is worrying and why do we do it? Interestingly, the ancestor of the word 'worry' comes from the Old English word 'wyrgan', which means ‘to strangle.’ In the 16th century 'worry' began to be used to mean to assault verbally,’ and in the 17th century the word took on the meaning ‘to bother, distress, or persecute.’ It was a small step from this meaning to the modern definitions ‘to cause to feel anxious or distressed’ and ‘to feel troubled or uneasy.’”

Worrying is obviously not pleasant, even it is actually an essential, normal, and instinctive emotion that has been hard-wired into humans to help us survive since we rose out of the primordial muck (Ooo I wonder what was in that muck, I hope nothing nibbles my toe. Ahh I think I just ate some!). Generally speaking we worry about things because we see them as a threat to our normal existence and worrying about it causes us to focus on it and protect ourselves from that particular threat.

Let’s face it, real and present dangers to our health, well being, and livelihoods do exist and you want to be aware of them and take the necessary steps to protect yourself from them. You want to take reasonable precautions against illness, injury, and accident. So clearly, some form of worrying is good for us. Unfortunately, worrying can all too easily morph from that healthy, practical form of concern and vigilance to a preoccupation with stuff that isn't.

These are the worries that can cause you to obsess about so many things that are very unlikely to ever happen, that they interfere with your worrying about the stuff that might. It's these worries that can, return to the original Old English meaning of worry, metaphorically they strangle you. So, basically what I'm saying is, worrying has been making us feel miserable since we began walking upright, even if it has also ensured our survival.

Unhealthy worrying (when it goes beyond concern to protect yourself and makes you miserable) is all about negative, obsessive thinking, doubt, physical anxiety, and fear. This type of worry is actually a symptom of other problems and so becomes a problem in itself. It usually comes from the emotional baggage we pick up and hold onto as a child and a deep, often unconscious belief that you won’t be able to protect yourself, stuff like:

Insecurity: (“I live in a scary world.”)
Perfectionism: (“If I make mistakes, I am a failure.”)
Need for control: (“If I lose control, I bad stuff will happen.”)
Social comparison (“People don't like me and think I'm an idiot.”)
Pessimism (“Bad things are just bound to happen to me.”)
Low tolerance for stress (“How can I protect myself if I’m this stressed out!?”)

Of course all of this baggage isn’t black-and-white, it's not like you either have them or you don’t; rather, we all carry some of it around with us to different degrees. The question is though, is whether our worrying is healthy or not. The way to tell which worrying you have is to ask yourself the following questions:

Do you worry about things that are not immediate threats?
Do you spend more time anxious than relaxed?
Are you usually unhappy or happy?
Do you have difficulty enjoying yourself because you worry so much?
Are you unwilling to take reasonable risks?
Do your worries interfere with your normal life?

If you answered ‘no’ to the above questions, then you’re likely to be a healthy worrier, so keep doing what you’re doing because you know what the real threats are. However, if you responded ‘yes’ to the questions, then you are probably an unhealthy worrier and you’ll want to take some steps to relieve yourself of that unnecessary burden. Sadly, there is no wonder pill that will magically relieve you of your worrying but there are some things you can do to reduce the problem.

The best place to start is to address the cause of your worry. If you can figure out what precisely you are worrying about, then you’re in a position to find a solution to it. In the short term, you can also increase your awareness of what the most common sources of worry are for you (e.g. work, family, relationships, or money). If you understand your worries, they can become . . . well, less worrisome. You can actually start looking for way to help ease your worries.

Another thing that can cause the volume of your worrying to go up several notches is to worry about worrying. It's true, this is a real thing! You can actually make yourself even more miserable by thinking that you are the only one in the world who worries about the things you worry about. So if you can accept that worrying is just a normal part of life and everyone does it, maybe we can keep the volume of our worrying to a more manageable level.

Sometimes of course there is no immediate solution to the worrying and you just can’t get your worrying out of your mind. In this case, the best strategy is to distract yourself the best you can from whatever the worry might be. Whether that is reading a book, watching a movie, or hanging out with friends, if you’re focused on other activities, you’re bound to worry less. Basically if you can do things that oppose the worrying, namely, anything that makes you feel positive, happy, excited, or relaxed, you will counter the negativity and anxiety that accompanies the worrying.

A wise man once said “There are only two things in life which we worry about. Things that we can do something about, and things that we can't. And there's no point in worrying about the things we can do something about, because we can do something about them. And there's no point in worrying about the things that we can't, because we can't. (Okay, it wasn't a wise man, it was me. But still).

In the long term, you could explore the causes of your deeper worrying. If you can directly “unpack” your baggage you can free yourself from the heart of your worries. Admittedly, this process can be difficult and very time consuming, but the rewards are powerful and will last a lifetime.

Or, you could of course just take the sage-like advice of the singer Bobby McFerrin: “Don’t worry. Be happy.”

Santa's 'The Tuesday'

Santa was cross, he'd had a bad day.
The elves were on strike for more overtime pay.
They'd all been on strike since the end of October,
and all turned to drink, not one of them sober.

And Donner and Dancer and Cupid and Blitzen
had gone off in a 'hoof' since early last Whitsun'.
His lights wouldn't flash and his bells wouldn't ring,
his Jing wouldn't Jang and his Jang wouldn't Jing.

After asking Mrs. Claus for the weather forecast,
he hoped Christmas present would become Christmas past.
Global warming had meant there'd be no snow this year,
so she'd said with a sigh, "There'll just be 'rain dear!"

On top of it all, he'd got the presents to sort
and political correctness had made the task fraught.
No dolls for the girls or guns for the boys,
nothing that bangs or pollutes with it's noise.

No harm to their teeth from a sweet or a lolly.
Nothing sexist or racist, like a Barbie or Golly!
No books on religion or to do with the body,
no 'Famous Five' and nothing on 'Noddy'!

No caffeine filled drinks to cause tension and stress.
No glue and no paint, because of the mess.
No jigsaws with pieces that some kid could choke on
and nothing too fragile that would only get 'broke-on'.

No feathers or fur and nothing of leather.
Nothing too simple and nothing too clever.
Nothing too violent and nothing too scary.
Nothing Royalist or 'Gay', not a Queen nor a 'Fairy'!

Nothing with e-numbers or colourings that might,
bring them out in a rash or be hyperactive all night.
No balls and no bats which could injure or bruise,
and nothing with bits they were certain to lose.

No marbles or beads that a small child could fit,
up its nose, in its ears or unmentionable bits.
And trees must be from a sustainable source,
and the lights must be energy saving, of course!

And gone were the days when all they would wish,
was an apple, an orange, or a rod made to fish.
These days an Xbox, an iPad, or a giant TV,
was all that they asked for when they sat on your knee.

And he was tired and fed up of appearing so jolly,
and he knew what he'd like them to do with their holly!
He was sick of clambering about on all those roofs,
now he wasn't so nimble as he was in his 'yoof'.

He hated those people who said, "No pets at all,
a puppy's for life not for Christmas", they call.
Well it's OK for them with their fine protestations,
but what can I do with five thousand Dalmations?!!

Though, in spite of it all, by the end of the night,
he'd still manage to give every child something right.
Then he could sit by the fire with a big jug of beer,
and wish you all, "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!"