New Year Wishes

Since the ads on TV are now for summer holidays and sales in furniture stores I guess the Christmas consumption fest is officially over. Except of course for the mega sales in all the shopping malls and High Streets across the country, where those 'must have' items that would make Christmas perfect this time last week can now be bought at a fraction of the price.

I like to make the Christmas festivities last as long as possible, but starting before the 25th as people seem in a better humour then. By the time the day itself has arrived tempers seem to fray easily and by Boxing Day a lot of family and friendly gatherings seem to be strained...

Christmas and the New Year is a time for reflection although personally I try to ignore the news and forget about politics for a time. Of course a lot of metaphors can be drawn when watching friends and family interact but I don't do that...

For instance watching two grandsons argue about who is the eldest, an argument which will always have the same outcome does not make me reflect how often Wars are not worth fighting.

Watching the grandchildren open their presents is a lesson to all. They do not dissemble like adults and show exactly what they think of the wierd socks Aunty Elsie sent and how delighted they are with the gun that their pacifist parents would not buy for them but naughty Uncle Phillip slipped in. I dare not wonder if the world be a better place if we all said what we thought and if we listened more carefully to what others want.

Over the holidays we often visit friends/relations that for the rest of year we would travel miles to avoid. Surprisingly, we sometimes find that boring Great Grandma is not so bad after all and has some interesting stories from which we can learn. And those 'round robin' Christmas letters that arrive tucked in Christmas Cards and which we all laugh at, when we actually sit down and read them we may find amongst the stories of how many cat shows puss has won, they sometimes have interesting news about friends and family that we are glad to know. So perhaps communication with others prevents misunderstandings and actually broadens our knowledge? You might think that but I couldn't possibly comment.

Watching family and friends interact is a metaphor that does not need explaining, nor is the metaphor when family and friends end up having a blazing row. I hope your holiday experience was of the former and not the latter. I am so happy that ours was definately of the former!

One Christmas sentiment I really do wish would last all year is 'Peace on Earth, Goodwill to all Men'. So that is my New Year Wish to you all.



Oh and the photo? Well it is a metaphor! The boat on the Thames Estuary in Christmas week is attempting to hide behind the post. Obviously it can't, just as the Coalition government cannot hide from all its critics, including Elizannie, in 2011! Trying to hide measures like planning to close the Forensic Science Service and the Booktrust funding controversy because it is Christmas week won't work, guys!