Humbug Carols from the Riverbank…

Bah Humbug!

I have to say, having seen much of the badness that can also materialise in people during this supposed season of Good Will To All Men, unfortunately, I always find it hard to drum up any enthusiasm for the festivities, genuine or contrived…

As many who know me will confirm, I’ve never really had that much time for Christmas. I’m not a misery per se, I may be grumpy about many things but the true meaning and value of Christmas is not one of them. But, as I’m also not a follower of any particular religion, it holds no meaning to me in terms of faith. It’s the inherent commercialism and falseness of it all these days that constitutes the majority of my disdain.

To say “Bah Humbug” is my standard comment each year would be an understatement (see here). Someone once said;  ”Wouldn’t life be worth the living and wouldn’t dreams be coming true, if we kept the Christmas spirit, all the whole year through?” But people in the main don’t, they display their mostly contrived emotions and synthetic concerns for the briefest of periods, then just as quickly return to their business as usual self-interest.

Someone once said; “One of the nice things about Christmas is that you can make people forget the past with a present.” But this Christmas, perhaps more than many before; there will be many of us finding it even harder than usual to be positive and celebrate, especially when there is so such economic uncertainty surrounding us.

During this festive season of the year, Mr Scrooge (Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol) was told “it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time”… “We choose this time, because it is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices”…

As many of us face ever more restricted financial discomfort, the more sensible amongst will probably be reining in their Christmas spending somewhat. That in turn will result in less ‘present’ to help you forget the past but many would do so well to learn; a gift to others doesn’t always have to be a materialistic one.

This afternoon HM The Queen will focus on family, friends and the community during Christmas message (see here) because; “The modern family extends much further than blood relatives.” The Queen, quite rightly, will call for us to celebrate the strengths of friends and the community. Whether you happen to be a Royalist or not is mostly immaterial, the lady talks a lot of sense. Many of the problems in UK society today boil down to a distinct lack of social cohesion. 

Writing in yesterday’s Yorkshire Post The Archbishop of York, John Sentamu said; “Christmas in troubled times gives us a chance to reflect on building a fairer world reflects on the duty to support and care for others at Christmas and the urgent task ahead to re-establish a fairer society” (read more).

May the message of Christmas turn all our fears into hope; and heal us from our tendency to wallow in cynicism. We must believe that change is possible. Let us all go out and make it happen. May the peace of Christmas be your gift…(Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop of York)

But to many others like me, Christmas is simply another day at the office; a day where they do all the work and the fat guy with the posh suit gets all the credit. Having said that, many of those actually doing the ‘work’ such as our emergency services, aren’t actually looking for thanks. A little more consideration for those, who continually put themselves out (or at risk) for us, on either a statutory or voluntary basis, wouldn’t go amis though. The person who said “The Christmas spirit that goes out with the dried-up Christmas tree is just as worthless” was so right.

“But I am sure that I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round…as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely.” (Charles Dickens)

Unfortunately there are far too many people in our society, from top to bottom, who hold more interest in serving themselves than helping others. Isn’t it a pity their hearts don’t remain ‘open’ for a little longer than just a few days in December in each year?

Lord Francis Jeffrey, an 18th century literary critic wrote of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol that it had done more good than “all the pulpits and confessionals in Christendom”. William Makepeace Thackeray, the English novelist described it as; “a national benefit, and to every man or woman who reads it a personal kindness”. These descriptors of how the story has been seen ever since may well be correct however; as Claire Tomalin commented in The Guardian - “Its message may well offer some comfort and joy but we still need to think about the wolfish children.”

Whilst worrying about your mortgage payments, think about those without a home and cut back on your waste and frivolous expenditure. Whilst stuffing yourself to bursting point with masses of rich fayre, think about those who haven’t eaten for days. Whilst imbibing gargantuan quantities of booze, before disturbing the tranquility of all around, then going home to beat hell out of your partner, think of those who have to clear up your mess.

Spare a thought for all the emergency services workers, the ones who can’t be at home with their families because of people like you, or are trying to protect others from the likes of you. Think of the men and women of the RNLI and other rescue services who will put their lives at risk to save yours, no matter what day it is. And finally, think of those in the military, fighting in far off lands and protecting your freedom and right to be an absolute prat…

A Very Merry Humbug to one and all!

Related articles

• The Queen will focus on family, friends and the community during Christmas message (telegraph.co.uk)
• Archbishop of York attacks bankers’ ‘massive bonuses’ (telegraph.co.uk)
• It’s not presents but your presence that will matter this Christmas: Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu’s festive message to Sun readers (thesun.co.uk)

What did you do today to make you feel proud?

Do you ever spare a moment to think about the underlying issues causing the problems in our society? I often try but I doubt the same can be said for very many of us. You see we’re all too busy wrapped up in the vast importance of our mostly self-interested busy lives. By the very nature of the microcosm in which we reside, often ones of virtual reality at that, we tend to possess very little understanding about any of the trials and tribulations facing others…

Seeing a member of our military on TV, who is doing their utmost to recover from multiple limb loss and/or horrendous burns sustained whilst serving their country say; ”its hard but you just get on with it” is guaranteed to warm the underside of my collar. Not because I don’t value that person’s endeavours, both for their country, themselves and their loved ones, but due to those who insistently devote their spare moments to crying hardship and injustice.

You know the ones; vociferously bleating on ad infinitum about matters that in real terms, are mostly piffle and at the very most, a minor inconvenience of insignificance in the bigger scheme of things. The weather (too wet, too dry, too cold, too hot etc), the inconvenience of their rubbish bin collections (don’t bloody waste so much), the state of the roads (learn to drive properly), their mortgage (which was probably too big in the first place) and to cap it all, we now also have a devalued housing market to contend with.

The good thing about the latter issue is; it serves to impede their climb of greed up the property ladder but in addition (hopefully), it also teaches people to value life by more than monetary values alone. Been there, done that and got the bloody tee-shirt, twice!

Add the exorbitant price of weekly shopping today (much of which is discarded uneaten, in a bin that isn’t collected, in any case) to their moaning rants, along with the fact they can’t change the second car this year and the holidays will only amount to a week in the Balearic Isles, instead of two in the Caribbean and a couple in Greece to “top up the tan” next year, and you have to feel sorry for their plight. Don’t you?

Not a bit of it. My household income is less than half of what it was three years ago, its not easy but we survive and I don’t want sympathy or hand-outs. And, irrespective of their mostly contrived personal angst, often fuelled by the emotive and sensationalistic media machine, many still appear to have the ability to spend on all the frivolities of life… Unlike Mark and Helen Mullins who couldn’t even afford the necessities and consequently, saw no potion other than to give up on the rat race. 

But what of those who continually champion the plight of the underclass at every opportunity? Well many of them are simply devoting their time selfishly. With the hope that offering up their (questionably) valuable opinion and time, along with a modicum of contrived concern, will further their self-promotion in their personal quest for self-importance in the world of social politics.

Refreshingly, according to the BBC on Twitter this morning, the Military Wives Choir have apparently sold 242,000 singles in one day – that’s more than Little Mix sold in total last week. It would be nice to think my Tweet of yesterday (below) had something to do with that achievement but I doubt it.

@BankBabble – @Milwiveschoir Must be #No1XmasSingle this year – Sorry @LittleMixOffic but any effort for @PoppyLegion is far more important.

The Mixers may well be (justifiably) proud of realising their X-Facter dreams, unlike many millions of others. However, it still remains to be seen how they will ultimately handle their new-found fame and fortune or indeed, how long it will actually last. Best of luck girls, at least you should now have the financial ability to escape our social decline.

But in this age of Social disintegration, it’s always good to see people who have hardships of their own, making the effort to help others, instead of simply bleating constantly. Just a pity that many of those who could actually make a difference, like the politicians etc don’t. It’s this type of thing that forms the framework of social cohesion. It’s also one of the reasons I often ask; “what have YOU done today to make you feel proud?

I always think that it’s never too late to try, even if it turns out that your efforts are thrown back in your face. This morning was something of an example in point…

Whilst walking along the high street my attention was drawn to two young ladies (I use the term loosely). They were engaged in a dispute of animated gesticulation from opposite sides of their designer baby buggies. A small crowd was gathering outside the branch of the well-know budget brand female outfitter to observe, as they engaged in what many would describe as, a heated discussion of gargantuan bling handbag proportions.

To say the air around them was tinged with a blue haze, would be something of an understatement. One explicative after another tripped readily from their tongues with ease, all interspersed by the now ubiquitous ’like’ of social interaction. As I got closer I gleaned a better understanding of the actual topic being discussed, and as the words increased in decibel level, so they also gained hues of even more brilliance.

On drawing near a small girl of about four years old, who was also screaming, ran out from under the group of flailing arms and was heading in the direction of the busy main road. I quickly side-stepped and grabbed the girl, hoisting her skyward and out of the jaws of death as a lorry passed within inches. I walked the few steps back to the ‘ladies’ who were totally oblivious to ‘Tiffany’s’ near death experience and asked; “does this little girl belong to one of you?”

I was not looking for any thanks or praise, neither did I expect any reward for my actions indeed, a simple thankyou would probably have been too much to expect. No what I got (and also didn’t expect) was; “ere, wot you doin’ wiv my Tiff, you some fuckin’ peado or sumat?” 

As I said above, it’s never too late to try to help someone, just sometimes you wonder why you actually bothered in the first place! But, just because some parent is an arse, you can’t hold it against their kids, can you?

Related articles

• Record sales for Military Wives (bbc.co.uk)
• Military Wives marching on to Christmas number one (telegraph.co.uk)
• Little Mix WILL be beaten to the Christmas Number One by Military Wives Choir(heatworld.com)