It all becomes a bit too much… for everyone!
Is it an age thing? I don’t think so. Talking with both daughter and grandchildren we all agreed on one thing. This fucking Christmas nonsense goes on for far too long. This year is worse than ever. Christmas was in the shops and on all our media from mid October – specifically half term! It’s obscene. The pressure on hard-up parents to meet children’s expectations is manifestly unfair as it builds and builds until it explodes on the 25th with a series of deflated dreams and recriminations concerning the wrong type of thing or the slightly older version of something. I’ve never really been that bothered before but, this year, it has really got to me as daily we hear about the horrors visited on populations abroad and the poverty that is very much alive and thriving in our society.
I’m trying not to succumb but as the 25th approaches I incrementally loosen the ire and get in the spirit. This year by appearing as Santa at the local Lower Prep School. They loved it! And so did I although the wig did become massively itchy. We all make sacrifices…
On the turntable this week some classic Van Morrison and some laughing Lou. The radio show features numbers 45 – 23 in the top 70 tracks released in 2023 containing gems from The Fruit Bats, The Breeze, Isreal Nash, Brown Horse, Wilco, Jenny Owens Youngs, Lulu and Jason Isbell amongst others. As ever take what you want or need.