'A Christmas Carol Has Worked Its Magic Again!'

It is common knowledge that I consider, Charles Dickens 'A Christmas Carol' to be the greatest story ever written bar none and I often try to watch the Alastair Sim version of the movie once as Christmas Day draws near. There have been numerous screen versions of the story and most are worth watching but for me, Alastair Sim's 'Scrooge' is the one that I can relate to more than any other. Not only does Sim play 'Scrooge' with conviction the characters gradual repentance is believable thanks to his numerous complaints that he is 'too old to change his ways' etc. In a lot of the films I've seen the transformation from the bitter and cold man Scrooge has become thanks to the harshness of the world and the loss of his beloved sister, Fan comes too easily and thus even the elation of the 'happy to be alive' Ebenezer falls a bit flat. I ALWAYS end up with a kind smile upon my face when I see Sim's Scrooge jumping about and doing silly things like a madman after the visit of the three ghosts...

'Bob The Bauble' mimics the re-born, Scrooge!

The supporting cast are all excellent as well! George Cole plays the young Scrooge (He and Alastair Sim were very close in real life as well) and a VERY young, Nicholas Parsons appears as 'Tiny Tim'.  Well, according to IMDB, Glyn Dearman plays 'Tiny Tim' but you take a look at the film and then tell me that it isn't, Nicholas Parsons!  Patrick McNee (Young Jacob Marley) and Hattie Jacques (Mrs Fezziwig) are also in it and the elder/ghost, Jacob Marley is brilliantly played by, Michael Hordern.

The film was released in 1951 and I have seen it about 7 or 8 times during my lifetime, which is easily a record for me as I'm not generally one for repetition of any kind.

The great thing about watching, A Christmas Carol though is that it helps you to 'take stock' of your life and shows you the enormous value of the people you know to your general happiness. Money is always a difficulty at this time of year and so many people get caught up in the commercialised side of it but at the end of the day it really is 'the thought that counts'. Its such a shame that nearly all of the wonderful people who made this film are now dead but their influence lives on and shall live on for future generations via this film. Alastair Sim also features in my favourite film of all time, 'School For Scoundrels' with Terry-Thomas and Ian Carmichael so in a lot of ways he is one of my favourite Actors.

I fear I may have 'forged a chain of many heavy links' like, Jacob Marley in this world not so much through greed for money or being 'tight' but for being a bit 'closed hearted' to much of the suffering in the world. Mankind should be all of our business but I feel close only to a small percentage of it. Hopefully, I do a fair job of showing how I feel to that small percentage and try to look after people I love the best way that I can but I just don't feel able to 'throw my arms around the whole world'. Whatever fate awaits me though I wish there were more time to try and help me to experience some of the numerous things I have missed out on in this world.

Photo courtesy of allposters.co.uk

Scrooge is right in one respect that it is VERY hard to tread a new path once you have spent a LIFETIME walking down a familiar one. I would love to get married one day but just think I have 'missed the boat' on that front now and with so many possessions that remind me of cherished moments in my past I can't really see how I could 'start a new life' with someone as part of an 'us'. So sad really because I do have a lot of love to give...

Oh well, maybe just one person who reads this 'revealing and honest' blog post this Christmas will manage to change their life and become  like the 'new born' Scrooge. We all feel we are 'alone with thinking this or that' at some time or other in our lives and never more so than at Christmas time so my hope is, if not for me, that these words will help one of you in your time of dilemma...

Merry Christmas xx

P.S. If you think 'Bob the Bauble' is cute I got him in the Town Hall at the Grassington Christmas Fair.

'The First Christmas Adverts'

Well people, I am still working flat out to try and catch up with myself at the moment! I feel like a dog constantly chasing his tail at the moment and as soon as I get one thing done and out the way another crops up and starts 'flashing red' as urgent...

I have hardly watched any television of late but did so the other evening to help me relax off. I noticed the first Christmas ad during the break and that REALLY brought it back to me how the festive season is drawing near!

Have you seen the lovely advert with 'Buster' the dog having fun on the trampoline in it yet! I'm not an animal lover but I must say that I think its a BRILLIANT and very heartwarming ad. I can honestly say now that brands like Marks & Spencer, Coca-Cola and John Lewis are helping to make Christmas Christmas for me nowadays with their festive adverts. Its almost as if they have taken to 'stepping up' to fill the void left by the Christmas singles that our favourite pop acts used to come out with each year. I hope Marks & Spencer do well at Christmas each year these days as it is they whom I attribute the current trend to. I guess Coca-Cola would have something to say about that but they are an american company and (however great and Christmassy) their ad's are their ad's are more for american audiences than british ones. Marks & Spencer seem to put the British pride back into Christmas and most of their adverts over the last few years have made my mouth water with desire for their food products AND left me with a 'fuzzy warm feeling' about the fact that Christmas is a time for love and celebration... I reckon that's quite an achievement for any brand, don't you?

Sad to see Marks & Spencer suffering so much financially but sadly, though their food products are always top quality and delicious, a lot of them are quite pricey and out of reach for the 'minimum wage' household budget. As for selling clothes I'm surprised in a way that they have not been able to continue making money doing that. Of all the things I do buy online I rarely buy clothes because of the hassle of sending things back if they do not fit or don't look quite the same colour wise when you get them. Much better to see and feel an item of clothing in store and be able to try it on and decided there and then if it is what you want. I guess the lack of finance thing comes into the equation again here though. Often when you buy something online you can 'spread the cost' of doing so over a longer period and/or get loyalty points but in store this is not always the case and even if it is when you can see other people are waiting in the queue behind you it kind of puts you off wanting to ask for things or paying by card when cash is quicker. Mind you, I say this as a 51 year old shopper - I doubt it would occur to most younger people as they are now used to doing things by card or electronically...

There is another GREAT Christmassy advert out at the moment featuring a little storyline about a carrot called 'Kevin' and it has Santa and his Reindeers flying off at the end. It is for Aldi and is such good fun! If you have a festive bone in your body it will press all of your feel good buttons!

I must admit that it sounds odd to be going on here about adverts that I really like at Christmas. I do recall getting SERIOUSLY fed up with the dull and generic ones that used to 'invade' our television screens each year at this time back in the 70's. Most were so predictable and low budget that you just got fed up with seeing them over and over. Now that brands are being forced to do more and more to stop people fast forwarding or ignoring their ads they are working much harder to produce something that is not only informative and a good selling tool but that is entertaining and engaging as well.

I truly hope that we do not see the closure of Marks & Spencer in the coming years. Having lost Woolworths and BHS to internet shopping they and Debenhams are two of the only 'traditional British high street' chains we have left...

'More On My Christmas Campaign'

Ironically, since I recently started my Christmas card campaign,  I received a lovely E-Card today from my good friends, Ro & Sally Gardner that served to remind me that HOWEVER we all choose to spread the spirit of Christmas is good. E-cards may not be as permanent as a real card but there is no doubting that they can be just as much (if not more) fun to receive. I thrive every December on dreams of a traditional, wintery English Christmas and so cartoons of lights, decorations, trees, presents and wide-eyed kids are bliss to me. I love to listen to a lot of the old classic crooners in my quiet moments and almost always think of my beloved Marilyn Monroe whenever I do. The music of the 30's, 40's and 50's was SOOO romantic. Men looked like Men and Women looked like Women in those days and life seemed so much more simple than today. Sadly, as my friend Sally would be the first to point out to me, things were not quite as harmonious between the sexes as I imagine and there is no doubting that Men certainly held the upper hand back then. I do still mourn the loss of the softer, more feminine side of the female personality in every day life though. Being tough, ruthless and strictly professional (and impersonal) seems to be all the rage now and women seem to think it is fine to show 'attitude', curse and swear with the best of the Men. I think that's sad because to me its a bit like mirroring all of the worst things about Men - the very same things which propagated and maintained sexual equality in the first place... Then again, maybe that's why I am single and always have been? I have a tendency to put women up on a pedestal and expect them to be nothing but angelic, sweet and kind and so I often find it hard to take when a woman acts in rather an 'unladylike' way. Men can be childish, selfish, ruthless, driven and crass - I guess I have always hoped Women were better than that...

Oh dear, I am getting myself into all kinds of trouble with this post! Don't know what started me off really? Still, for all of my sins (and there are many!) no one can ever say that I do not wear my heart on my sleeve. Talking of which, take a look at this little video. It spells out what I hope to achieve with my Christmas card campaign (12 more written and ready to be posted!) and you get to see a brief view of my Christmas Elf jumper as well. I have not had any response as yet to the first 12 cards I posted but the post is VERY slow at this time of year so I may yet be pleasantly surprised...

'Wilde Winter Songbook' (Again!)

I know its now a year old and I know that I reviewed it here then but Kim Wilde's 'Wilde Winter Songbook' album has proved to be an album with true staying power. As the weeks gradually turn towards Christmas, I am starting to get the urge to listen to plenty of old favourites again but am resisting that urge at the moment preferring instead to continue to explore the more modern - less heard festive delights in my vast record collection.

I have always thought of Kim Wilde as a lovely looking lady and once got into trouble with a girl at my school who wanted my attention by staring lovingly at a picture of Kim while daydreaming in the common room! Aside from her considerable sex appeal though, Kim is also a very good song writer and her talent in this area shines brightly on 'Wilde Winter Songbook'. Not only is the album a successful blend of traditional cover versions and originals it hangs together very well as an album listen and songs like 'Hope' advertise Kim's ability to sing in such a way as to make you believe she means every word. I love that as it makes me feel closer to Kim as a person - even if some may see it as rather 'karaoke'.

'Song For Beryl' meanwhile is a song that almost brings me to tears. Its a song of remembrance and loss and serves as the perfect reminder that not everyone has a family or friends to spend Christmas with... On the happier side of things playful songs like Kim's 'Hey Mister Snowman' bring the joyous, magical side of Christmas to the forefront of your mind. All in all, aside from the opening and closing duets (with Rick Astley and at the end Nick Kershaw) which I find are less successful, 'Wilde Winter Songbook' is a fantastic album and if you decided to pass it over last year you should put it on your shopping list this...

It would be lovely to meet Kim one day. Don't know what the hell I would say to her mind you but I get the feeling the subject of Christmas would be a good place to start a conversation...Oh, and I do consider her song, 'Someday' (from the LP 'Love Moves'), to be a song which would certainly take pride of place on any soundtrack album of my life so that might just get a mention too!

Love ya' Kim xxx

'First Christmas Tree!'

I saw my first lit Christmas Tree of 2014 today! Love Christmas as much as I do I thought Noooo! Its way too early! HA HA

I think the speed of modern life and the inability it seems of people today to wait for or look forward to anything has a lot to do with it. Everything today is 'instant', the news flashes at us on the train and from advertising boards everywhere and its only going to get worse the further into the future we go.

I for one actually LIKE the idea of 'videoing' something to watch later and HATE it when everywhere you go its impossible to avoid information on 'latest scores' or news items. Christmas should not be something we 'fast track' it should be something precious that we look forward to and plan for.

On my forthcoming Christmas album there is a track entitled 'Tradition' and its one I'm expecting to get a bit of flack for. It must be the first Christmas song ever to include 'The Last Post' and at almost 10 minutes long is not going to be for everyone. I am proud of it, however, as it has a lot to say about the way I feel Christmas is beginning to die out. Not just in the hearts and minds of people but as an event itself. I know quite a few people who either work on Christmas Day (nurses, care home workers, waitresses etc) or who get only Christmas Day off and are then thrust straight back into the money making process until New Years Eve/Day.

Christmas should be a time to be together. Families need time to gather and spend quality time with each other and that is just not possible when crazy working schedules and awkward hours are all the rage. I feel that ALL staff (with the exception of essential medical/emergency services) should get at least three days PAID holiday for Christmas. Life is over fast enough as it is and there isn't always a tomorrow to be able to 'see you tomorrow' in.

While I am glad to see the Christmas spirit is alive and kicking in at least one home in Hastings I just wish we as a community could learn to celebrate things together and at the same time again...

'Renta Santa' Really Puts Time Into Perspective.

Whenever I think of 1975 I always think of it as 'just a few years back'. With so many of the artists I still love listening to now originating from that period I still hold a familiarity with the way I felt back then and that makes it all seem 'closer to home', if you know what I mean?

Well, the other day I went off in search on the Internet of 'Renta Santa', a top 10 Christmas hit from Chris Hill. try as I might, though I remembered its title I could not recall how the song went nor 'Bionic Santa' his top 10er from Christmas 76.

As usual, Youtube was the place to re-discover the song and I was soon listening to it. Both hits turned out to be rather silly but unique comedy pieces. I say pieces because really they are no more than collages of spoken words and excerpts from other peoples hits. 

To think that something so amateurish could have made the top ten two years running in different guises sounds amazing these days but the 'songs' are both typical of the kind of thing Radio 1 DJ's would have played on the radio back then for a bit of fun. What is really comical to me about both records is that Chris Hill sounds a lot to me like a cross between Jools Holland and Chris Evans! If I didn't know better I'd swear the two of them were involved!

What re-discovering these old time pieces did for me though was put into perspective just how long ago 1975/6 is. How far has mixing etc come on since then - it is astonishing now to think that 'Renta Santa' would have been thought really cleverly done back then...

I think Chris carried on releasing '.....Santa' records at Christmas for a few years after 'Bionic Santa' was his second and last hit. There was I believe a 'Disco Santa' in 1978 but by then the novelty appeal of his kind of 'schoolboy humour' montages had worn off. This all said, the world very much needs a few more Chris Hills these days. A sense of humour and a cheeky quip or two are also becoming a thing of the past as the E.U. machine and todays litigation conscious society turns us all into robots.  We Brits would not be British without leg pulling so God knows where the current trend towards perfect politeness with ABSOLUTELY NO personality will lead us?

Merry Christmas Mr. Hill if you are still out there!  

'Good Game! Good Game! Didn't She Do Well!'

Of all of the programmes from my childhood 'The Generation Game' is the one I associate most with Christmas. Watching the Generation Game with old Brucie (or middle-aged Brucie as he was then!) was a real family thing. The show appealed to everyone whatever age you were because its mixture of slapstick humour, interesting games and Bruce's fantastically funny way of making fun of the whole thing - and taking the mickey out of the contestants - was simply television magic.

I am not one for hankering over the every word of  celebrities but Bruce Forsyth will always be someone very special to me. The ULTIMATE professional he has made so many shows over the years I associate with happy times and 'Strictly'  has a touch of The Generation Game about it somehow...

Take a look at the video above. If you haven't watched a whole episode of 'The Generation Game' for years (as I hadn't when I watched this yesterday) it is sure to bring back many happy memories. In my case, it inspired me to come up with a new Christmas song based on my love for my childhood Christmases would you believe! 'Christmas 73' is the working title for the song as yet but that's hardly full of excitement so I will let the lyrics percolate for a few days and then see if I can come up with something much more snazzy! 

For those of you new to my world, I have a habit of writing and recording a new Christmas song every year (as long as I can afford it!) and then 'release' them in early to mid Dec on my Youtube channel (Maybrick44). If my producer (and friend) Harvey Summers likes 'Christmas 73' it could be my 'release' this year! 

Anyway, back to Bruce and the Christmas edition of 'The Generation Game'...

'Nice to see you, to see you....NICE!' Has to be one of the best catchphrases any entertainer could have to start a show, don't you think? I mean, straight away he or she is interacting with the audience and making them feel a real part of the show, welcomed and at home. I know Brucies jokes are all a bit out dated in 2013 but I much prefer 'gentle leg pulling' that the more graphic stuff of today. The prizes that get dished out here to losing contestants are also hilarious! Walking off screen with a drill (no box - with the wires dangling and all!) after losing out must really have made men feel better about their lives. Its a bit like saying "Well, loser, back to your D.I.Y. chores for the missus!" HA HA

Oh and where would we have been in those days without one of Anthea Redfern's twirls?

To be honest, she is as wooden a presenter as Pinocchio but it doesn't really matter as Brucie is such a large personality there simply wouldn't have been room on screen for another! That's why the scenes here with the equally awesome, Frankie Howerd are nothing short of T.V. heaven. Frank comes across as a nice guy during his chat to the losing contestants in the semi final and he is sorely missed today.

Oh well, enough chat, get watching and don't forget to let me know your thoughts on the subject.

'Tony May's 'All Things Christmas' Festive Favourites 2013'

I have really got the Mixpixie bug! What a great website! The selection of music available is pretty impressive and putting together custom made CD's takes me back to the days when I was forever compiling my own cassette compilations. In light of the amount of fun it is putting a great compilation together and in line with the fact that I am currently researching the U.K chart to try and make a definitive list of all of the U.K.'s Christmas hits, I have put together a special Christmas collection named after this blog!

D.J. John Peel was renowned for his end of year 'festive 50' and so I thought I'd have a go at starting a trend myself! After much head scratching I came up with the following 10 Christmas songs in the following running order for this years collection. 

Christmas Countdown - Frank Kelly
Walking In The Air - Peter Auty
A Spaceman Came Travelling - Chris De Burgh
December - All About Eve
Merry Christmas Darling - The Carpenters
Christmas Song - Gilbert O' Sullivan
I Was Born On Christmas Day - Saint Etienne
Christmas Rappin' - Kurtis Blow
Christmas In Hollis - Run DMC
X-M@S - Corey Taylor

I reckon John would approve of my 'eclectic' selection. There's certainly something there for everyone and ALL of the songs were U.K. Christmas hits though many would come under the banner of 'forgotten festivities' these days. I would have extended the CD to about 14 songs if it was up to me but you can only buy 10 at a time on a Mixpixie CD. Still, I will look forward to putting Vol 2 together next year about this time!

'Could Mixpixie Save Your Life This Christmas?'

I am almost ashamed to admit it but something new about the modern world has met with my approval! Now, those of you who know me well will realise that this kind of revelation does not happen everyday so by God 'Mixpixie' must be good!

So who or what in the hell is or are Mixpixie anyway?

Well, Mixpixie is a new website that enables you to put together custom made CD compilations. A bit like 'Moonpig.com' only not with cards. To be honest, I wasn't convinced that the idea was going to be any good when I first looked into it. I thought that it would either be really hard to design the CD cover you wanted, be WAYY too expensive or that the songs you could put on your chosen CD would be re-records or inferior versions. I am glad to report, however, that in fact the contrary is true! Mixpixie have access to 14 million songs and all the ones I clicked on were original recordings by the original artist. Putting your chosen CD together is actually very easy as well. All you do is choose one of the CD designs available, customise it by adding the title and a written message for the inside and then select the songs you want to go on the CD. Tracks cost 99p each and you can put up to 10 on your CD. A full ten track customised CD ends up costing you about £15 something and postage and packing is another £2.99 so its not the cheapest way of buying songs but I can assure you the CD's when you get them (and I got mine the day after I ordered it!) are top quality and sound great. The packaging is every bit as good as any digipack you can buy in HMV or from Amazon and whoever you are buying the CD for will be well chuffed, I promise. 

The CD designs are NOT tacky, they don't look cheap and they are proper digipacks NOT fold over cardboard ones like the free CD's you get in the paper. All of the tracks are officially licensed so your favourite artist isn't losing out either which is nice. What is especially great though about Mixpixie is that its possible to select the exact tracks from albums you want and you can even move them about on the disc if you want to create the best 'album listen' if so inclined. When artists I love re-issue 'expanded' versions of an album I have already purchased I usually have to buy the same album again just to get the extra songs I want but this will become a thing of the past now. 

The other exciting thing about Mixpixie is that you can compile your own 'wicked' CD compilations and give them great covers etc just for fun with 100% what you want on the disc and 0% of tracks you already have or don't want. Much better than burning off a blank and boring CD from itunes!

There is also a fun feature that allows you to record a 20 second personal message on the disc if you want to but I decided not to do that as heard once or twice that message may be welcome but every time you play the CD - NO!

Check out Mixpixie.com - http://www.mixpixie.com/ - you won't find a better, more original way of giving someone a truly personal AND personalised gift this Christmas!

'How To Enjoy Christmas'

So how do you really learn to enjoy Christmas? If you don't see yourself as a religious sort and you hate the way the festive season has become so commercialised these days how can you get into all that 'Ho Ho Ho, mince pies and mirth' that you see constantly thrust down your throat everywhere?

Well, the answer to that my friends is to personalise Christmas. The ending of a year is a milestone for all of us. Life is short and each Christmas that passes is one less you have left! Now you might think that reflecting on your own mortality would be likely to make you feel even more miserable at Christmas not happier but if you use your period of reflection to look back on the events in your life over the past year and then take a moment to think carefully of all those in your life who have shared in that year with you the true spirit of Christmas will shine brightly in front of your eyes...

Christmas is not just a time for giving presents it is a time to celebrate friendship, rejoice in having the company of those that you love and who love you and a time to think for a moment of those sadly no longer a part of this world. When it annoys you trying to think what to buy someone contemplate for a second what it would be like NOT having them in your life anymore? How many of us would dearly love to buy someone we have lost a special Christmas present! No, the secret to enjoying Christmas is to think of what you HAVE not what you have not and to think of those who share your life - not of yourself. 

Christmas is best when you prepare for it in advance. Start thinking about buying presents for people in October (like me!) so that you are able to ENJOY the festive lights about town centres and have time to stop and listen to carol singers in December rather than having to 'rush about totally stressed out' trying to find the last present for he or she. Once you organise yourself and get into the habit of starting early you will feel much less of the worry of the festive season and be able to soak up more of the atmosphere and joy. Smile at people! They don't bite - especially when you smile at them!

The common perception today is that 'Christmas isn't what it was' but the truth of the matter is PEOPLE are not what they once were. We have all become far too self absorbed and the real pleasure in Christmas is in giving something to someone you love that you know will make them happy. Its not about 'how much it costs' its about letting them know that they are in your thoughts and that you have tried your hardest to give them something you know THEY will like. Never think of whether YOU like something or not when deciding what to buy someone think of THEM,

When you allow the true spirit of Christmas to enter your heart you will find that others pick up on the happiness that you are giving off and happiness is infectious! So, this year take some time out and make Dec 25th this year a special day for you and your family and friends. If you do you will encourage others to do so as well and the sooner we change peoples minds about the festive season the sooner the idillic vision of friends & family huddled around a log fire eating a fabulous festive feast will return to us whenever we think of the word 'Christmas'...

Picture courtesy of Amanda Heydari