A blog about anything to do with Christmas be it music, film, T.V. holidays, reviews, comment or personal memories. If you love Christmas you will love this blog!
Well, it is nearly time for me to cease writing this blog again for another year... Christmas has not really 'kicked into life' for me in a lot of ways this year but I am happy in the circumstances how I have defiantly tried my best to enter into the spirit, keep doing all the festive things I love and stay jolly.
Ironically, I now have another good friend in hospital! I spent part of Christmas Day with Robert and he made us both a nice christmas lunch. We pulled crackers (both of mine went off as well!) shared a bottle of wine, had a few laughs and watched the Queen's speech. Robert has been a 'creaking gate' for a while now and his health has not been great but on the 27th he had a heart attack and is now in the James ward at The Conquest hospital. I saw him yesterday and he was tired and sounded awful
(he has a chest infection as well) but thankfully was still his usual self so, hopefully, all is not lost just yet. He is at least in the best place for care now and will HAVE to eat the right things rather than stuff that's not good for him...
Add to this the shock of finding out that George Michael died on Christmas Day and you have a lot of 'time is passing so blooming fast' like memories and thoughts buzzing around your head, don't you? I was one of the first people in this country to become aware of Wham! I bought the original 12" version of 'Wham Rap' in Flyright Records in Bexhill-on-Sea when it ended up in the 'cheap bin' and think I still have it somewhere. 'Young Guns ( Go For It!)' followed and was a hit and that started the ball rolling. I always admired George Michael as a gifted songwriter as he was capable of writing what I call 'candy floss pop tunes' alongside brilliantly adult and emotive songs like 'Father Figure' and 'A Different Corner'. Both of the latter are I feel classics as is 'Last Christmas'. It is sad that George had such a troubled personal life but he obviously had a heart of gold from what we are now hearing of his legendary generosity. I was not so keen on his later work ( a bit too self-indulgent) but there was no doubting the man's genius...
On a more personal note, while I lost (as usual) on the Boxing Day Gee Gee's, this time I did share a win as well when my nap, 'Does Your Dog Bite' won at Kempton at 8/1. I only got the one winner all day so lost 50p myself but in my joint bet with my 'punting pal' Vakis we won about £50.
Finally, my post about 'getting up to a lot of good' is probably best forgotten as though I had the best of intentions my act of kindness was not so well thought out as it should have been and so I caused a bit of heart ache as well as fun by what I did. Still, all is sorted now so I must 'live and learn' and not let the spirit of Christmas carry me away in future...
P.S) I am glad to say that I received a card from one of the 18 households I carded this year as part of 'Operation Spread Christmas Spirit'. Last year I posted over 50 cards and failed to get one back so to receive the card you can see here was extra special...
Well folks, we are now nearly at the 'big day' again! As usual, instead of a lovely, soft carpet of snow and a population of Snowmen looking at us through the window we have wet, depressing days and that HORRIBLE grey sky...
Still, Christmas is the 'season that lives in your heart' and so you don't actually need to see it you just need to feel it and know that it is real...
I'm writing this listening to The Manhattan Transfer's Christmas album from 1992 so I'm all wrapped up in great harmonies and lush melodies! The 'Man Tran' are not normally my scene ( a bit showbiz) but this time of year their gorgeous vocal harmonies and show like songs all help create a bit of badly needed glamour!
The run in to Christmas has been a strange one for me this year. I have either been out enjoying myself with good friends and attending Christmas Dinners or I have been at a loose end indoors at home with (too much) time on my hands to reflect on the horrific losses I have suffered this year and how scarey 2017 looks...
I know I say this every year, but Christmas can be and is a difficult time emotionally for lots of people. Offset against all of the happy get-togethers there are inevitably thoughts of those no longer with us and of how things keep changing on you as you get older. Loneliness is especially keenly felt at this time and that is why I try to smile at everyone I meet in the street and make sure I say a cheery 'Good Morning' or 'Good Afternoon' to them with my 'Merry Christmas!' Small little gestures like that can really make a difference and maybe be enough to keep someone who is feeling 'cast off' going.
I hope with this blog I 'connect' with a few people and help bring the cheer and spirit of Christmas into your home! Here is a little poem of mine I put to music a few years ago. The video may be very amateurish but the scenery is lovely and Christmassy! I filmed it myself in Church-in-the-Wood the last time we had some significant snowfall in my area...
Finally, I had a lovely evening out with my Shorelink Writers club at The New Inn in Westfield at our Christmas dinner party.
Yvonne & Alvin are all smiles!
Someone left me a 'secret Santa' present on my chair while I was taking a few pictures, which was very nice and I will look forward to finding out what it is o the 25th! 'Thanks for all the help' was the message attached to the card. Now, I do try to be a 'helpful fellow' whenever I can to my friends but I've no idea this time who this present could be from?
They really are a great bunch of people at Shorelink Writers and no-one can feel lonely or lost for long at our group because it is such fun and we all support each other - like a family does...
So people, if you are reading this and thinking you could do with something new to be a part of next year make a new year's resolution to come to one of our meetings. We are on a 'holiday break' now until January the 9th but you are most welcome to come along to our next meeting at Tesco's Community Room in Churchwood Drive! We start at 7pm until 9 and the tea, coffee and biccies are all free so what have you got to lose?
Well, I am glad to say that my annual Christmas Quiz went down a storm at my Shorelink Writers club meeting yesterday. Our last regular meeting of the year (before our Christmas meal next week) I am usually called upon to put a Christmas themed quiz together for a bit of fun.
Ye noble chocolate rations!
As ever, I supplied the three teams led by Ro, Brian and Alan (2), with a 'chocolate ration' to keep their spirits up and their brains fed during the evening and dressed in a suitable daft way to MC the evening!
With 6 rounds of questions prepared, including a music round where I intended to play 20 or 30 seconds of 10 festive songs and ask the teams to tell me the artists name, there was a lot to get through in two hours. I was a bit disappointed at the turnout as only 13 people showed up ( we regularly get 18-20 at meetings these days) but things happen at this time of year and one of our regular members relies heavily on the trains so the disruption at the moment was always likely to count him out...
Thankfully though, the 13 I did get were all in a festive mood and took quite keenly to the quiz once we started. I did try to split Ro from Sally (one or the other's team ALWAYS wins our quizzes) but Sally objected quite rightly claiming that they always get separated and could not help being so intelligent! Dashed insolence, eh? HA HA HA
Ro (in red) and Sally (opposite) - The DREAM Quiz team!
Suitably attired as Quizmaster!
Having had quite a bit of flack the previous two years for making my quizzes too hard I
REALLY tried to make it all a lot easier this year and had also 'upped the silliness' factor by including rounds about 'Christmas Riddles' and a 'questions you were asked last year but I hope you have forgotten the answers' round!
Introducing the idea of each team playing their joker on one of the rounds for double points I started the evening in hope that everyone would enjoy themselves...
Well, I think you can see from the pictures here that it was a good night! I had planned for 4 teams of 5 to play the quiz but in the end we had to settle for two teams of 4 and one of 5. Sally and Ro were in one of the 4 person teams but soon went into the lead and after scoring an impressive 16 points with their joker in the second round were well ahead even by half time! Brian and Alan (2)'s teams though were locked in a battle for 2nd and dead level at the half-time interval...
Half Time and Ro's ALREADY in a good lead!
My previous music rounds have been slammed as 'too hard' by all in previous years and so this time around I simply played snippets of 10 festive songs and asked the teams to tell me who it was singing - no need for the song title or anything else... This seemed to do the trick as all of the teams did very well and appeared to enjoy the christmas vibes! Both Brian and Alan (2)'s teams scored 5 out of 10 on their prospective joker rounds (doubled to 10 points) and amazingly at the end finished locked together for second place as they had been at half time - Ro's team having long sauntered past the winning post (as usual!)
Oh no! Ro' wins AGAIN!
Chris 1 and Sian (LOVE the specs) of Brian's Team...
Alan (2)'s team deep in thought
Overall, it was a fun night and I think the best quiz I have put together so far. Just hard enough to get people thinking, it was still easy enough for everyone to feel they were doing well and that is always the mark of a successful quiz!
Onto the last Shorelink get-together of the year next week - our Christmas dinner at Westfield. It should be a great night and a fitting end to another great year for Shorelink...
To finish off here is a track from one of my favourite Christmas albums by Lady Antebellum - check it out!
Now if there is one bloke I would love to meet for a Christmas drink and a chat it is Captain Sensible! Our Ray is a real character and a pretty good lyricist when he puts his mind to it as well. The records he released with Producer, Tony Mansfield at the helm in the mid 80's are a delight and range from the sublimely ridiculous 'Wot!' to thoughtful songs like 'Yanks With Guns'.
Aside from singing ode's to his beloved home town of 'Croydon' and whisking his way to the number 1 spot with 'Happy Talk' from 'South Pacific' its a little known fact that the good Captain released a Christmas single called 'One Christmas Catalogue' in 1984.
The song didn't quite come over as Christmassy enough at the time I remember and failed to sell but listening to it nowadays I rather like it!
The video is really good as well incorporating elements of the classic 'A Christmas Carol' and 'The Witch, The Lion & the Wardrobe' stories.
To try and boost sales of the record the record company released a limited 12" version of the song which came with a real foam beard on the cover and the Captain's lively version of F.G.T.H.'s 'Relax' on the b side as well as a couple of other non-lp tracks. None of it helped the record into the charts though
Frustratingly, during the recording of their third album of songs together, Tony and Ray had a disagreement over the musical direction of the songs recorded so far and so the album was scrapped and they parted company forever. Well, I for one would LOVE to get a copy of those unreleased songs for Christmas! Be they good or bad it would be great to hear them and find out what all the fuss was about.
Pop music today is SOOO lacking characters like Captain Sensible, Roy Wood and the late, great Alvin Stardust. Music seems to have gone the way of modern thinking these days and become dour, ultra serious and 'arty'.
I really don't want to get too festive yet, after all its only the end of October and I HATE the way Christmas is spoilt by being pushed down our throats earlier and earlier each year myself. You may find this hard to believe bearing in mind I'm writing this a blog in October but Christmas is something you feel and I always seem to get the bug as soon as the nights start drawing in, the weather changes and we get those HORRID grey skies overhead. Maybe I start dreaming about Xmas to get away from miserable days of rain and wind - I don't know?
Anyway, I'm not here to sell you anything so there is little commercialization of the Christmas message going on here. I just like to wax lyrical about what I see as a special time of the year when its actually o.k. for once to feel and be 'real'. In the ever quickening pace of life today that isn't seen as 'cool' these days and I hate that!
This track by Lady Antebellum is therefore the easiest way to gradually ease you into the idea of what comes in mid-winter. This live version of 'On This Winter's Night' is perhaps a little cheesy with the kiddy choir and their lil' cute faces but the song itself is like a warm hug from an old friend in front of a blazing log fire. The song comes from a lovely E.P. of Christmas songs the band produced in 2010 and really brings out the romantic in me! So, go on! Take some time out from your schedule and sit and watch this video. The ad at the beginning is a pain but its worth putting up with because the bands performance is sensitively done and the stage set is as wintery as it is Christmassy so not too much schmaltz.
