'A Virtual Christmas!'

 Hello again!

Well, what a ‘rotten tomato’ of a year 2020 has turned out to be, eh? I tell you what if I’d known on New Years Eve last year when I posted my last post to you all I would have made sure to tell you all to have a few more drinks - stiff drinks!

Still, ‘it is what it is’ and considering the situation regarding the worldwide pandemic no matter where you are in the world reading this my message to you is this… that we owe it not only to ourselves, our families and to those we may have lost this year but to Christmas itself to make Christmas 2020 every bit as festive and Christmassy as every other year! if anything we all need to make this Christmas even more special - even if we have to end up with a ‘virtual Christmas’.

With that in mind I hope to ‘lead the charge’ myself with this blog and over the next two months I shall be posting all kinds of ‘festive goodies’ to keep you entertained, informed and (hopefully) smiling!

Jeff Belton & Ernie The Elf & Friend In The CHR Studio

To start with today why not put the 23rd of December at 9 A.M. (U.K. time) in your diary! Why? Well, my mate Jeff Belton will be on the radio doing our annual ‘Christmas Breakfast Show’ on Conquest Hospital Radio then and it will be a whole lot of fun! No matter where you are it is free to tune in online - just search for Conquest Hospital Radio and click on the ‘listen live’ box on the website and you are in! Jeff and I always have lots of laughs, crack madcap jokes, talk about ‘the old days’ and play a fabulously festive selection of records! You might even get to hear one of my own Christmas songs - though I doubt it will be a new recording unless I win the lottery between now and then! Still, if you’ve not heard ‘If Santa Was A D.J’ or ‘The Toy Museum’ you are surely missing out (even if I do say so myself!) and need to arrest that situation to satisfy your ‘bucket list’! (lol)

Another thing to look out for if you are in ‘my neck of the woods’ in Hastings is a special Covid 19 Christmas story that I have written. It is due to be published in the December/January edition of ‘Hastings Town’ magazine out on December the 5th.

It might be ‘covid themed’ but is not a miserable tale and is one I hope to brighten your day whether you are 3 or 93! ‘Hastings Town’ magazine can easily be found on Facebook so if you are not local but would like a copy drop the magazine’s Editor Jim Hollands a line there or for U.K. customers call 01303 814874 to secure a copy for yourself in the post. 

Right then, that’s it for now but keep your eyes peeled as I will be back soon with more Christmassy chat and fun!

Toodle pip!

'Thank Goodness For Two Lovely Christmassy People!'

I know 2019 has not been the most 'harmonious' year but the level of MISERY and MISERABLE people I have encountered this year has definitely gone up!

I had a smashing time with my old mate, Jeff Belton doing our Christmas Special show on C.H.R. yesterday and went dressed as a Christmas Tree! (lol) Yep, you get the picture a CHRISTMAS TREE!

Jeff, Clyde The Clown and Me

Standing at the end of my street I looked a right festive twit wearing a special Christmas jumper that has tinsel and baubles already attached to it, LARGE green and black Elf 'boots', a Christmas tree hat complete with baubles, sparkly tinsel and with a star on top AND a Christmas stocking dangling down my leg that I had looped through the belt in my trousers!

Now, surely just the thought of seeing someone looking THAT daft makes you smile or laugh, doesn't it? Not most people today though! Only the bus drivers who went past me waved or smiled at me bar one lady who 'couldn't believe her eyes' everyone else either blanked me or drove past unimpressed!

Jeff and Ernie

'Sir Belton' and his good lady wife, Wendy, however LOVED my look and Jeff burst out laughing when he clapped eyes on me waving and wiggling an Elf boot (with bells on the end) at him and Wendy as they drove up the hill! "What have you got on!" He exclaimed when I got into the car!

When we got to the Conquest it was mainly 'more of the same'. Those waiting outside looked as grim as my bank account statement and while no one is likely to be 'bouncing off the walls with joy' at Christmas if they are either in hospital or visiting someone you'd think that the site of Jeff dressed up as Santa and me as a Christmas Tree walking 'casually' past might raise a titter!

But as dear old, Frankie Howerd would say 'not a titter I heard! Not a big titter nor even a little titter - I was well and truly titterless! Ooohhh Missus! (lol)

A festive looking Wogan!

The ladies upstairs in the offices near to the radio station studio though were much more responsive and that at least put us into the right mood to do our show in. You can see a few pics of us 'in action' here including 'Ernie the Elf Belton', who if you remember I got Jeff to adopt live on air last Christmas. I also brought my mate, 'Clyde The Clown' to say hello to the listeners and to give Ernie someone to talk to while me and Jeff did the show...

Three hours on the radio seem to FLY by and as soon as we started it seemed it was time to finish! I am really proud of the selection of music that Jeff and I put together and I think the mixture of well known classic Christmas songs and 'unknown gems' that we played was great! Jeff is always a big supporter of my music as well and he played three or four of the tracks from my festive collection 'A Nod To Mr.Dickens' including everyone's favourite of mine 'The Toy Museum' - twice!

Two Christmas nutters in their element!

I do miss my 'recording career' and the wonderful Mr. Harvey Summers with whom I wrote all of my songs but every time I get a chance like this and I see or hear anyone playing any of my stuff I know that every penny that I spent was well worth the money. Ironically, all of my recordings are likely to become collectible in the future as they are all extremely rare!

Maybe one day if 'my boat comes in' I will see the inside of Broadoak Studios again, who knows?

'The Thursford Christmas Spectacular'

Well, they say that Christmas is the time of year to think about giving and I am very glad to say that a friend of mine has done a LOT of that in regard to me this year! The result of which being that I had an unexpected chance to visit the Thursford Christmas Spectacular last week!

Now, if you have not heard about the show before it is a three hour variety type stage show that features over 150 people and incorporates, music, dance, acrobatics & comedy in such a way as to paint as many beautiful, emotive and funny pictures of the festive season as possible. In many ways its a bit like crossing the Circus with 'Saturday Night At The London Palladium' and as such is a fun experience for all the family!

I went by coach with Clive Richardson Tours (thoroughly recommended!) and stayed in the Comfort Hotel in Great Yarmouth. Thursford is about a 75 minute drive from Great Yarmouth but the Spectacular has grown so popular now that it is hard to find a hotel much closer than that with enough room for a coach party at a reasonable cost. The staff at the hotel were lovely actually - full of fun and prepared to do anything for you AND the food was good - so whatever the inconvenience of the location I was well satisfied!

Sadly, you are not allowed to take any photos of the performance itself nor take any videos or record any sounds so I can't show you anything here but I will say that, as long as you can put up with being seated in fairly narrow seats for three hours (there is a 25 minute interval to help give your knees a break) then the show itself is a 10/10 experience and well worth a visit - especially as not all of the show takes place on the stage - some of the performers actually stand in the aisles and perform making it rather an 'immersive' show rather than a 'spectators only' one. I did make sure to ask if photos in the other areas on the site are permitted though and was told 'Yes' - hence the pics you can see here.

The Entrance To 'Fantasy Land'

The site itself has plenty of other attractions aside from the Spectacular including some lovely, Christmassy places to eat, a few gift-shops and a TOTAL delight for you and the kids in the shape of 'Fantasy Land' where you can meet Santa, get a glimpse into the work he and his elves do in the run up to Christmas and see a 10 minute Christmas cartoon in 4D! That's quite an experience I can tell you!

A Glimpse Inside 'Fantasy Land'

It does cost £5 to visit 'Fantasy Land' but that includes the 4D Cartoon experience. BIG kids will LOVE glimpsing Santa's little helpers at work, listening to his singing and dancing penguins and dodging the snowballs thrown at you by naughty Polar Bears! I have no idea though how much it costs to visit Santa as, obviously as I am he, the man is an imposter! (lol)

If you go to the afternoon performance it is well worth taking your time AFTER the show to soak up some of the festive atmosphere! The shops on-site close after half time in the Spectacular but once it gets dark the whole site becomes a festive fairyland and you will only take an age to get out of the car park anyway because of the amount of coaches trying to get away before the next set arrive for the evening performance. Kids will LOVE the twinkling Reindeers and the multi coloured bulbs that make the Christmas trees look AMAZING!

'The Thursford Spectacular Site After Dark'

If you are reading this in East Sussex I would also recommend you go with Clive Richardson Tours. While some of Clive's jokes may have 'retired from Christmas crackers' he is a great bloke and knows a lot of interesting things about places, buildings, traditions and the Spectacular itself that he tells you from time to time to make the traveling itself less dull. There is also a wonderful sense of community on Clive's coach and no 'nasty' technology on the backs of the seats to 'drag you back to the life you should be trying to get away from', either. No, everything about a Clive Richardson Tour is about 'being a part of it' and having fun as much as possible as a group and that is lovely, if like me, you are on your own and can use the camaraderie.

I know from speaking to, Clive that this tour gets booked up really quickly each year so my advice if you want to have the 2020 show to look forward to is to book your place a.s.a.p.

If you'd like to find out more - go to Clive's website here http://cliverichardsontours.com where you can download his latest brochure/s for free!

'Christmas At 'Teddy Tinkers'!'

One of my favourite places to spend time at during Christmas is a 'Vintage & Retro' shop called, 'Teddy Tinkers'.

'Teddy Tinkers' - 134 London Rd, St Leonards.

Just One Of Teddy Tinkers Festively Dressed Windows

All the info you need!

Not only is it run by a VERY smiley and friendly lady by the name of Kate Rosie, all of the stallholders that make the shop what it is are both knowledgable and enthusiasts for anything from the past (like Kate!.  Almost ANYTHING you can think of is available at 'Teddy Tinkers' (Kate named the shop after her Teddy Bear as a child - she still has him!) and the days of 'over the counter' conversation accompanied by a cup of tea or coffee are well and truly alive and kicking, unlike most 'modern shops' where the emphasis is usually on 'whipping you out of the store as fast as possible once they have taken your money'. No, at Teddy Tinkers you can genuinely feel free to browse and take your time to decide if you want to buy something or not.

Actually, I reckon that Kate has a 'secret deal' with Santa himself as she always seems to manage to 'find' a selection of wonderfully nostalgic and magical 'festive blasts from the past' to make my eyes go all big and wide every year!

Old Fashioned Paper Streamers, Yay!

Noddy annuals- REALLY take me back to happier times!

Take a look at some of the 'old friends' that Kate has in stock this year. Noddy was on T.V. a lot when I was a kid and it was such a lovely, innocent and inoffensive little cartoon. It makes my blood boil when I think how today there would be uproar about a character being named 'Big Ears' and how even the slightest hint of a golliwog would be frowned upon. How sad people have become - taking offence at the slightest thing - the way we are going the only thing that will not be 'inappropriate' is looking in the mirror and with my mug that's not good news for me! (lol)

You can find Teddy Tinkers on the internet and on Facebook and Kate has uploaded hundreds of photos of the AMAZING things they have for sale there! Aside from this years festive delights you can also find vintage clothes and furniture, toy cars, models, ornaments, ephemera, badges, photographs, movie magazines, sheet music and a whole host of stuff!

An old collection of Christmas Carols.

The shop also seems to be stocking a growing selection of LP records as well for you rare and collectible vinyl lovers out there - so if you're still stuck for ideas this Christmas why not check out 'my favourite shop' and get something really special and unique for your beloved this Christmas!

Finally, I used to get a group of my friends together at Christmas time to go out and do some carol singing. We used to knock on doors and sing, 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas' as that was about the only carol we knew! (lol) Our hearts were in the right place but we should have worked MUCH harder as far as learning the words of a selection of festive songs was concerned! I did write out cards for those who gave us some money on the door step though which said, much love for Christmas from 'The Tony May Singers'!

Ah, those were the days!

'Some Belated Feedback From Last Year's, 'Operation Spread Christmas Spirit!'

I was delighted the other day to receive a Christmas card from a couple called 'Lisa & Tony' that I do not actually know!

So why did they send me a card, I hear you ask? Well, I popped a card in to their house LAST Christmas on my Christmas Eve travels to deliver my 'Santa' cards in honour of the lovely Christmas light display they had put on. Seeing as initially I failed to receive a single card from any that I delivered last year that Lisa & Tony made a note to send me a card THIS year shows that my efforts WERE all worthwhile after all!

I think the snag with delivering my cards on Christmas Eve is that people think its too late to send a reply by then and so, while (I hope) I give them a smile and spread some festive cheer, I don't get any cards back. Unfortunately, it looks as if I won't be able to put 'Operation Spread Christmas Spirit' into action this year as I don't have any spare cards and STILL haven't caught up with writing cards for family and friends - let alone got all of my presents bought...

That's a real pity as Lisa & Tony's lovely card proves that my campaign was proving a success - I mean, for all I know LOADS of people may have started doing the same thing now because of me!

On a serious note, Lisa & Tony's card was a charity one and so my campaign could also help to raise a lot of extra money for good causes if it were to catch on in a big way! What a lovely thought, eh?

Typical me, I walked into town yesterday and came back to Hollington  via St Helen's Rd. I was going to 'pop in' on Lisa & Tony to say 'Thanks' for the card but was looking for 279 St Helen's Rd not 249! Well, there isn't a 279 as the last house is no 277! Instead of 'fearing I was being stalked' like (seemingly) 50% of the population would these days, however my reaction to this was to think, "Ah, HA! I bet it was SANTA who really sent me that card!

There really is no hope, is there! (lol)

'A Chatty One!'

I am in total disarray this year with Christmas! The time seems to have flown away and I have failed miserably to buy all the presents I need to get and write all the cards I need to write! For a 'Christmas person', like me this is really bad!

Thing is, not only have I been running short of cash I have been drained of energy this year by trying to keep up with an ever lengthening list of tasks I need to do. My room is a BOMBSITE with boxes all on the floor and CD's all over the place, I have been under pressure to write as many articles as I can for, 'Hastings Town' magazine (which I enjoy doing but it all takes time and energy) because the amount of people contributing has gone down at the moment, then there is my voluntary work as, 'The Clean Up Man' to do as well as housework and of course I had a few days away in Yorkshire! To add to the 'workload' this year I also had the mail out of my Christmas CD, 'A Nod To Mr. Dickens' to get sorted as well - though I managed to do a great job on that, I'm glad to say...

Reactions to, 'A Nod To Mr. Dickens' have been great in general and a friend of mine in Canada put up her Christmas tree soon after receiving the album in the post in November and posted a photo of it on Facebook so it certainly helped her get into the festive spirit! Normally, I get myself organised and ready for Crimbo in good time and aim to have all my gifts bought & wrapped and cards written ready to give out/deliver/send by Dec 1st but it just hasn't happened this time. That's a shame as I LOVE being free to enjoy all of the Christmas lights and atmosphere that there is everywhere at this time of year. Battle (a few miles from my home) is MAGICAL at Christmas and I usually make a bee line to go there, browse the shops, have a cup of tea and a slice of cake (in honour of Worzel, of course!) and wait for it to get dark so I can marvel at the twinkling lights on Battle abbey and enjoy the HUGE Christmas tree in the Market Square.

During my time in Skipton I came across a lot of BRILLIANT musical street performers and managed to get a few photos of them to share here. Sadly, I did not get names for some of them - even though I did speak to most! That's typical me, that is! One lot that I did get a name for though was, 'The Sundancers' who told me that they had a few tracks available to listen to on Soundcloud. Unfortunately, though I have found a few artists with that name I haven't been able to find them but you can hear a snippet of one of their songs in my 'Grassington Dickensian Festival Fun - Part 3' video on Youtube.

The Sundancers

The guys voice was amazing and sounded much better than it comes across on the video when you were listening live. I was gobsmacked and asked if they had any CD's for sale after just one song so I hope things work out for the band and that they get noticed soon. It never ceases to amaze me how many wonderfully talented people there are in the world - its just so sad that there isn't room for all of them to make a living out of using that talent...

Four festive lovelies are all smiles!

I also met some festively attired and smiley girls that had been playing some nice Christmas music and congratulated a BRILLIANT group of Carol Singers on their amazing harmonies.

Smiley and youthful carol singers!

I was well chuffed to note how young they all of them were! Maybe the traditional Christmas I love so much isn't on its way out just yet, eh!

'Back For Another Year!'

Well folks, it's beginning to get near that time of the season again! Creeps up on you, doesn't it? I hope you are all well and have not had too bad a year since my last post. That sounds like a pretty big ask though the way the world is at the moment but I'm wishing you all well anyway!

2017 has been a year of extremes for me. I've either 'worked wonders' or things have gone incredibly badly - there hasn't been a lot in between. I won't bore you with the bad stuff  but focus instead on the GOOD! My big news for this year is that my LONG delayed (I never thought it would ever happen in the end) Christmas album, 'A Nod To Mr. Dickens' is now a reality!

As you know if you read this blog regularly, I sadly lost my old mate, Alan Gaywood last year in July and was left his entire CD collection. Well, with 1,500 CD's of my own already I had no room for another 2,500 and so had no option but to do a good few orders to some of the online 'de-cluttering' websites. While this was sad (I would have loved to keep more of them than I have) it did allow me to find the extra cash required to fund completion of 'A Nod To Mr. Dickens'. I could only afford to have 100 pressed up (so in time the CD is going to be WELL collectible!) and plan to distribute most of them myself to friends and family this year. As ever, my producer, Harvey Summers has done a FABULOUS job on the mixing and mastering of the record and I am very proud of what we as a team have achieved. Obviously, I would have preferred to accomplish the task without losing Alan but at least the album will stand as a testament to our friendship into the future...

I shall 'unveil' the album cover art work here nearer to Christmas!

On the subject of new Christmas music, my favourite rock band, Cheap Trick have just released their first Christmas album! I've not got it yet but I'm sure it will be a blast and I am looking forward to hearing their version of 'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday' by Wizzard. CT have been quite prolific of late (following a long hiatus caused by legal action between the band and their old drummer, Bun E. Carlos) and so they have continued to be like a 'crutch' for me in the modern age as I've been listening to them for well over 30 years now!

Tom Chaplin of Keane also has a new Christmas album out on Nov 17th called, 'Twelve Tales Of Christmas'. There are no Mp3 previews up on Amazon for the record yet but it looks like another mix of originals and traditional festive classics so far. There is a 'Strictly cash-in' double CD compilation album 'by' Rev Richard Coles  out on Dec 1 as well featuring a mix of classical pieces, tenor singers, choirs and the like and Gwen Stefani releases the album, 'You Make It Feel Like Christmas' on the same day. Sadly, I find her voice a bit nasally and irritating so I doubt I will 'play' as far as that one is concerned but you should check it out if you like bubbly pop.

With plenty more festive releases to come no doubt (love the pun?) I look forward to waxing lyrical with you all again in the run up to the big day!

'R Kelly Hits The Spot!'

I have been looking for some new Christmas music to introduce you to this year but haven't found much... Imagine my surprise then when I stumbled across the new '12 Days of Christmas' set by R.Kelly and was pleasantly surprised at how sensitive and festive the songs on it are! Now, to be fair, Mr.Kelly has written some corkers in the past - especially 'You are Not Alone', which I played to death when Michael Jackson died and even tried to sing at karaoke as a tribute to Michael.. 'I Believe I Can Fly' being another great song of his. Sadly, all too often, much of the man's material revolves around sex and is pretty throw away so, while I respect R.Kelly as a songwriter of enormous potential talent I rarely listen to him as a whole album of his usual stuff would bore me rigid (if you'll excuse the terminology!)...

The songs on '12 Days Of Christmas', however do seem to show that the man has a good heart though! 'I really like 'Snowman' (above) and having flicked through the rest of the album on Amazon via the mp3's think I will probably buy the album. R.Kelly's voice has always been o.k. for me - its just what he has been singing I've not liked. He's no Luther Vandross or Donny Hathaway but he does have a nice, soulful and mellow voice when its matched up to good material.

Another act who have a good Christmas single out this year is ABC. I really liked them in the 80's   (The Lexicon Of Love is a great album) but went off them after 'When Smokey Sings' came out as they went all dance-floor and the songs were less interesting. 'A Christmas We Deserve' is not available at the moment on Youtube so I can't steer you in the direction of the video but check it out via the mp3 somewhere on the net...

Finally, I see that Spandau Ballet's, Tony Hadley has released a Christmas album. The reviews are not that great though and I could not find any mp3 previews of it to have a listen to so I will wait until I get a chance to hear some of it before I get too excited! Maybe one day I will finally get my Christmas set 'in the wracks' alongside them all and give them some festive competition!

'A Wonderful Time At 'Meet Of The Tongue'

I had a great time at last night's 'Meet of the Tongue' event in Robertsbridge! While there were not a huge amount of people there our host, Yvonne Rees, did a splendid job of facilitating a good old-fashioned evening of social interaction and began the night by asking us all to spend a few moments to think of either our best or worst ever Christmas. Accompanied by the soft acoustic guitar playing of regular attendee Derek Povey, we all sat in silence contemplating our answers for a few moments...

Christmas is a time of MANY wonderful memories for me (as this blog stands witness) and so it was hard for me to think of just one Christmas to tell everyone about when it came around to my turn to speak. I had a very happy childhood (in the main, I have always suffered with emotional problems) and Mum and Dad always went out of their way to make Christmas special. I think I have missed that 'special feeling' ever since and maybe that is why I always throw my heart and soul into Christmas in the hope that just for a few days that 'warm inner glow' will return. Most years it does, though often only for a fleeting period, but others, try as hard as I might, the conditions to re-kindle those far off days are just not right. The weather can play its part in that as if it is too warm and sunny (like this year!) then it is harder to transport myself back into that precious Christmas space.

Going to festive events really helps though and I was gutted to find the whole of Robertsbridge having a street party with stalls and fairground rides when we arrived last night. Don't get me wrong, it was amazingly lovely to see a community coming together and making something of the festive season - I was just gutted because had I known it was on I would have suggested to Alvin that we arrive early and join in the fun for a bit. Not having kids cuts deeper at Christmas than any other time of the year and seeing all of their little happy faces whizzing around on the carousel with their duffle coats and bobble hats on was just like something out of a dream for me...

Still, if that kind of made me a bit sad, Meet of the Tongue soon cheered me up. As you will know if you follow this blog ( or read my articles for 'Hastings Town' magazine) I love the intimate and supportive atmosphere that exists at 'Meet of the Tongue'. No matter who you are or where you come from there is always a BIG welcome waiting for you at the meetings and the fact that everyone gets involved by either sharing a song, a story or a poem is great. Whether listening or performing everyone contributes and we often sing songs and create loads of opportunities to laugh. Last nights event was one of the best ever and after Derek finished playing each one of us recounted stories from our lives about Christmas to the whole group. People spend so much time online these days that its actually quite difficult nowadays to find somewhere you can go to get human interaction free of mobile phones and the like.

Aside from our personal stories of Christmas Yvonne provided us all with some of her poems as did a few others. Jane Trott told us a captivating and festive story from Mongolia about God's gift to the world of story telling, Alvin read one of his typically eclectic stories full of science and sex and Sally Fadelle presented more of her powerful poems. We had even more powerful and thought provoking poems from Laurie, while Jan Povey recounted the story of her 60 year old Christmas Fairy and read 'the famous poem' The Night Before Christmas'. Derek Povey meanwhile returned in the second half to read a comical but powerful story of life in the trenches at Christmas and how a mum's Christmas pudding broke down a bastion. As for me, I told the story of my mate Alan and his slippers and sang my tribute song to him, 'You Can't Take Christmas Away From Me' live. As ever, I had to suffer NUMEROUS problems with getting my backing track CD to play properly and there were a few 'false starts' to the song but in the end I performed it well and I think people liked it.

At the end of the evening I stood up to initiate a round of applause for Yvonne, who puts in the work all year to keep 'Meet of the Tongue' going and then it was time for us all to say goodbye and head back into our lives.

If I were you, I'd make attending the next 'Meet of the Tongue' a priority for 2017. January 6th is the date, 8pm is the time and 'The Ostrich' pub in Robertsbridge is the venue. Why not re-kindle your sense of belonging at a good, old-fashioned community style event?

'Its December!'

Well, the calendar now has the word DECEMBER on it! It all starts 'kicking off' from here usually but I seem to have started earlier than ever this year... I have been to three three course dinners in the last week (though only one was an official christmas do) and have been thus living an 'a la carte' lifestyle!

I went to THE MOORINGS restaurant in Cooden Beach yesterday with the residents of R.O.A.R. for their Christmas get-together. Three courses for the special price of only £10 (usually £20) was a bargain I could not turn down and I have done various things for charity to support R.O.A.R. in the past so I did not feel guilty about accepting something from them. It did not feel much like Christmas though as the sun was shining and we had perfect blue skies as far as the eye could see! The sun was low, of course, so that did give you the idea that it wasn't summer but other than that it was more like a cool summers evening than the first day of December!

I had Garlic mushrooms for starters followed by a three cheese pasta bake and Lemon Meringue Pie and ice cream for sweet. You always get hearty helpings at The Moorings and so I was pretty stuffed by the time I got through my lot. Ironically, I sat next to an elderly lady who had just lost her husband in unexpected circumstances and we talked about how it feels and how best to cope when something like that happens. Funny isn't it? How the universe seems to throw you together with someone in the same boat when it would be therapeutic for both of you to speak with another who fully understands your loss?

One thing that always irks me about Christmas though is that whenever I pull a cracker with someone mine NEVER go 'bang!'. I pulled two at The Moorings and neither exploded yet both the other two crackers did when pulled by others on our table!

Some of the items from our Christmas Crackers at The Moorings...

My mate, Alvin, who I went with said that 'My Crackers Won't Go Bang' would make a GREAT title for a fun Christmas song and I think he is right!
I must see if I can come up with a comedy song to fit that title as well as work on another festive title given to me by another friend, Keith, 'Christmas Did Not Send Me You'. I LOVE working on Christmas material and would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE  to get my LOOONNGG delayed Christmas album finished and pressed up. Maybe 2017 will be the year It finally happens? I hope so...

I have been invited to ANOTHER festive meal on Dec 5th and am out again on the 16th and 19th for my writing club (Shorelink Writers) annual bash. Its my Christmas Quiz on the 12th as well so plenty of festive researching to do to get ready for that! Am not doing badly with my Christmas present buying but it looks as if 'Operation Spread Christmas Spirit' may not happen this year as I do not have the cards and am snowed under with other urgent tasks at the moment...

Off to Meet of the Tongue in Robertsbridge tonight where I will be singing my Christmas song, 'You Can't Take Christmas Away From Me' live. The fun begins at The Ostrich Pub at 8pm if you are interested...

Oh well, I hope you are getting in the festive swing of things - in spite of the horrible good weather! HA HA

'The Grinch Stole Christmas'

My Christmas feeling is starting to take hold on me now! The old '1 dose of St Clements Christmas Fair and shake well' treatment seems to have worked its usual magic!

STILL fighting to get on with Alan's CD collection but have now at last managed to start Christmas shopping for those I do still have. Knowing what to get people is always hard but in some ways it is part of the fun. As long as you get it right in the end that is! Nothing worse than spending a fortune on something nice for someone only to later find out that they did not want it. No, Christmas is a lot more about planning and calm thought than it is just outright love and affection - I reckon Santa must be the best organised businessman in the whole world - even putting Sir Alan Sugar to shame (don't like him!)...

Anyway, tired after the exerts of yet another CD sorting session, I relaxed the other afternoon by listening to the CD soundtrack of one of the best Christmas movies of all time, 'The Grinch Stole Christmas'. Jim Carrey is most certainly a man with NUMEROUS screws loose but boy is he a GREAT actor to hire whenever you need a 'kookie character'. I liked him in 'The Mask' and 'The Grinch' is almost a Christmas caricature of that same role.  The Soundtrack Cd is surprisingly awesome as well and great value with over 20 tracks. I don't care for the opening rap tune with Busta Rhymes (seemingly obligatory to have a rap tune on everything these days) but after that you get a great selection of festive originals followed by the original film score interspersed with some snippets of dialogue from the film. It all works very well and is almost like an alternative way of watching the film itself!

I LOVE the song, 'Christmas, Why Can't I Find You?' by the then 'ickle' Taylor Momsen. Now, I might be a big old BAD old Adulty type person but the sound of a little kid singing a sweet Christmas song melts my heart. No wonder the Grinch fell into a pile of soggy mush over it! Relationships and I have never gotten to know each other (sadly) and so my chances of ever having a family of my own have been nil. I often wonder what kind of Dad I would have been as I LOVE dishing out BIG hugs but somehow the emotional engagement in trying to partner someone else has just never seemed to be 'me'. I have always been a 'bit of a one man band' and I'm not sure I could ever be a 24/7 person for anyone. I do LOVE kids though and enjoy spending time in 'their world' - especially now as I know how HORRID the real one is! Got a bit emotional listening to the soundtrack CD but it is never a bad thing to feel something - far better that than to go through life without feeling anything! Don't you think?

'My New Christmas Video Single'

As you will know, if you follow this blog or keep in touch with my Maybrick44 Youtube channel, I am in the habit of recording a brand new Christmas song each year as a kind of homage to the days in the 1970's when a lot of recording artists did the same in order to try and secure the cherished No 1 spot in the charts over Christmas. In those days there was no such thing as the 'X-Factor' and so it was a relatively straight 'fight' fop pop acts who wanted to come up with a special single to try and capture the festive mood. Though it is not a very original choice, I personally think that the best Christmas single of all time is 'Merry Christmas Everybody' by Slade because it is not only festive but probably the most joyous, bouncy and fun rockin' party record ever made as well...

I may not always make Christmas records you can dance like that to but I have had my moments over the years with songs like 'If Santa Was A D.J.' and 'December 1973'. This years song, 'You Can't Take Christmas Away From Me', however is a rarity. Its a sad song with poignant lyrics, a defiant, 'NOTHING is going to ruin my Christmas' type attitude and a positive Christmas message all rolled into one. Having lost two long standing and close friends this year I was inspired to write it as a dedication to them both and especially to my friend, Alan Gaywood, who suffered all his life with epilepsy and yet refused to let it dominate his existence. Alan died suddenly from an epileptic attack on July and I have been struggling to come to terms with his loss ever since. it feels good to know that I have imortalised him in a song and I have now put together a video for the song which I plan to upload to 'Youtube' in early December. It would have been lovely to be able to spend a fortune on making a professional video for the song but I'm not ion the financial position to do that and so I have spent my time instead on selecting a set of beautiful, festive and often fun photos relating to the lyrics and to Christmas to tell the story instead. Amazingly, I got the idea for the video from the box of slippers I bought for Alan last Christmas that still sits upon the top of my Dad's wardrobe. Take a look at my first post here this year if you want to know why I still have those!

Anyway, I am very pleased with the video I have put together and think it is both poignant and festive. It did make me cry when I watched it back though (and my Mum!) so be warned - it might get to you as well! (lol) I do hope though that the positivity in the chorus and the defiant nature of the song will shine through for you all after the initial impact resides. Do let me know what you think when you see it - I want to remember my friends and tap into your hearts but I don't want to ruin your Christmas!

Oh well, under two calendar months to go to the big day now! Are you getting prepared yet? I have a few presents sorted out and done up but I'm a long way behind on my preparations this year due to having to sort out and sell off Alan's CD collection. Still, I'm getting 'stuck in' to that task so hopefully by mid November I will be able to concentrate on Christmas full time...

Love to you all x

'Nearly Christmas Fair Time!'

Well, its November tomorrow folks! Not long now until the 'Christmas Fair' season starts and the present hunting and festive thinking starts in earnest.

I have been searching online for information on exactly when my favourite Christmas Fair of all at St Clement's Church, Croft Rd, Hastings Old Town is taking place this year but without success? I will be gutted if it turns out that there isn't going to be one this year as attending the Fair always 'fires up' my enthusiasm for Christmas and gets me into 'full throttle' as far as thinking of others goes.

In today's day and age it is ever more important for local communities to make an effort to advertise their events online as it is now possible to attract visitors from far and wide if you have an event alluring enough - the days of simply 'putting up a poster in the post office or local newsagents' have gone...

In a way I'm sad that this is the case. Community used to be a 'local' word and one which pulled everyone together in an area. Now the word has 'global' conortations to it and that rather dilutes things in my opinion. I guess I'm just a bit too old fashioned...

Ironically, bearing in mind my last statement, I DID find a good place to check for information on forthcoming Christmas Fairs in your area whilst searching online. Stallfinder.com has listings of local events right across the country and I have cobbled together the list below of upcoming Christmas events and Fairs for your diary from the site...  

Forthcoming Christmas Fairs & Events 2015

Nov 7th - Battle Christmas Shopping Market - Battle Memorial Hall 10AM - 3 PM (free entry)

Nov 7th - Brighton Christmas Gift Fair Spectacular - Brighton Racecourse - over 130 stalls (£3 Admission)

Nov 14th - Christmas Fair - The Lounge, Blind Veterans U.K. Greenways, Ovingdean, Brighton 1PM - 4PM (free entry)

Nov 14th - Stylish Christmas Fair -  The American Express Community Stadium, Village Way, Falmer, Brighton. 2 Day Event (Admission £5 - Free  entry if you pay Sat on Sun)

Nov 20th - Christmas Shopping Night - Heathfield, St Richards Pre-School, 7PM-9PM
Dec 4th - Bexhill Late Night Christmas Market - Western Rd, Bexhill - 4PM-9PM
Dec 5th - Battle Christmas Shopping Market - Battle Memorial Hall 10AM - 3 PM (free entry)
Dec 5th - Poppinghole Christmas Fair - Poppinghole Farm,  Robertsbridge - 10AM-4PM
Dec 5th - St Michael's Hospice Cooden Beach Christmas Market - Cooden Beach Hotel - (Admission £1)
Dec 10th - Battle Late Night Christmas Shopping Market - Battle Memorial Hall 5PM - 9 PM (free entry)

Sadly, I'm a fair way behind with my Christmas shopping at the moment! I HAVE made a start and managed to secure a few prezzies for some of those on the list but I'm behind schedule I think for my Dec 1st deadline. 'Halloween' night tonight so the next 'calendar reminder' is Guy Fawkes Night on Nov 5th - time soon goes if you don't keep an eye on it you know!