My Perfect Christmas

Christmas Decorations and Lights

December 1st is the day we put up our Christmas decoration. We have a pop-up Christmas tree, one of those space saving ones which can be up and ready in five minutes. Easy and convenient even if I have to put the lights on.

We no longer do ceiling decorations too old for stepladders, and we have no children to get excited about them anymore. We have those traditional Christmas scene with multi-colored LED lights very pretty and again nice and easy to display.

Presents

Let's be honest, I don’t do presents very well. No I am no scrooge, I don’t like receiving them, I like cash because if I want something I will buy it myself.

Food and Drink

Last years turkey

My love of food allow I have on a kind of diet at the moment that will be kicked into touch for a few days. I am not much of a drinker these days close to tea total, but I don’t like tea or coffee. I love cooking a full on Christmas dinner we have a turkey crown, why pay for a lot of bones the turkey costs enough anyway.

A full cooked dinner with trimmings only happens at Christmas. Followed later when room has been made for turkey and stuffing sandwiches and some sweety treats.

Christmas Films

I'm a big TV-watcher over Christmas and like a good Christmas film, you can't keep me away from them. I fact I would say I watch more films on the Christmas 24movies channel during the month of December than any other channel. The Bishop's Wife (1947) is my all-time favourite it is rarely on but I do love it. A perusal of this Christmas schedule showed a number of film to get excited about

• Monday 23rd Channel 5 … Christmas with the Kranks (2004
• Christmas Eve 14th Channel 5 … Scrooge (1951)

Two films on my must watch list.

No Christmas Day snow for Cardiff

It’s time to announce there will be no snow before or after Christmas, so no white Christmas Day in the offing for Cardiff. Instead it will be wet, unsettled, and very windy at time. So the run up to Christmas has been everything but Christmassy but there is an outside chance Scotland could see some of the white stuff. The bookies have Cardiff 5/1 at for snow falling on Cardiff.

Since 1960, snow as fallen on Christmas Day in Cardiff only four times in 1990, 1993, 2001 and 2004.

Despite the weather in the UK being notoriously dreary, it never tends to snow much meaning we rarely have snow fall on Christmas day or any day. Growing up, you here tales from your parents about snowy Christmases but realize when you get older they didn’t happen as frequent as you thought. I am already thinking about next Christmas and will it be white and by the summer start the conversation "Will we, won't we?" and the bookies will start taking white Christmas bets earnest. Some old guy will pop-up TV and tell the world this winter will be the coldest on record, owing to the fact is wife’s big toe is throbbing.

Christmas Day 1970 TV

Christmas Day Friday 25th December 1970          

The random chosen year for this year’s blog was 1970. He is the TV schedule for the day from the BBC and ITV.

BBC 1

9.00pm Christmas Carols with the Wandsworth School choir

9.30pm Basil's Christmas Morning with Basil Brush and Derek Fowlds

10.00pm Christmas Crackers a cartoon parade with Michael Aspel

10.25pm News Summary

10.30pm A Family Service from Netherlee Parish Church, Glasgow

11.40pm A Christmas Appeal by Alvar Lidell on behalf of the Wireless for the Blind Fund

11.45pm Rolf Harris: Meet the Kids in hospital this Christmas

12.35pm The Story of the Silver Skates starring Eleanor Parker, Richard Baseheart

2.15pm Top of the Pops 70

3.00pm The Queen, speaks to the Commonwealth and introduces a special film

3.25pm Billy Smart's Circus Spectacular

4.30pm Disney Time with Harry Worth

5.10pm Robinson Crusoe starring Ken Dodd, with Lyn Kennington, Peter Glaze, Arthur Mullard

6.40pm The Main News

6.45pm Christmas Night with the Stars introduced by

Cilla Black, featuring Bob Hope, Mary Hopkin, Graham Kerr, Jerry Lewis, Nana Mouskouri, Clodagh Rodgers, Frank Sinatra, Jack Warner, Dad's Army, Stanley Baxter, Dick Emery, Bachelor Father, Terry Scott and June Whitfield

8.15pm The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show

9.15pm Film: Charade (1963) starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn

11.00pm The Good Old Days with Danny La Rue

11.50pm But Seriously...on the Nativity with Joyce Grenfell, Cyril Fletcher, Ernie Wise

12.00 Close

ITV

8:15pm Sing a Song of Christmas

9:00am Anita in Jumbleland

9:15am Parish Communion from St. Alaban's Cathedral

10:15am Cinema Special

11:00am A Merry Morning

11:30am Laurel and Hardy Cartoon

11:35am Tarzan's Peril (film) starring Lex Barker

1:00pm Kelvin Hall Circus

2:00pm A Gift from Gracie

3:00pm The Queen speaks to the Commonwealth and introduces a special Christmas Day film

3:20pm The Incredible Mr. Limpet (film) starring Don Knotts, Carole Cook, Jack Weston

4:45pm Cinderella, with Dickie Henderson, Vince Hill, Jack Douglas, Lionel Blair, Susan George 5:50pm News

6:00pm All-Star Comedy Carnival

8:30pm On the Buses: Christmas Duty

9:00pm The Val Doonican Show

10:00pm News

10:20pm Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte (film) starring Bette Davis, Joseph Cotten, Olivia de Havilland (b-w)

12:40pm Church and Close

Scrooged - Film Review

It’s a big-budget film in its day packed out with major star, Bill Murray, and an attractive concept. This film is a modern version of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. Updated to a TV studio we see Murray has a cynical TV executive who schedules a live Christmas Eve broadcast of A Christmas Carol.

Murray plays Frank Cross, a Scrooge-type TV executive who's very cross on his employees, doesn't really care too much about the holiday season, and only cares about ratings. When he goes too far by forcing all his workers to host a live telecast of A Christmas Carol, Cross, like Scrooge, is haunted by three extremely freaky ghosts who show him the error of his ways and redeem himself before it's too late.

Scrooged also features David Johanson as the humorous cab-driving Ghost of Christmas Past, Carol Kane as the sugar-plum fairy Ghost of Christmas Present, Karen Allen as Murray's former love interest, and there's a ton of celebrity cameos in here as well, from Buddy Hackett, Robert Mitchum, John Forsyth, and Mary Lou Retton. Director Richard Donner, brilliantly succeeds in making A Christmas Carol a dark comedy.

Some moments, such as some of the ghost visuals, do come out as corny, and Bill Murray is a little obnoxious in places, especially in the beginning, but it's Murray that makes Scrooged the fun film it is. I cracked at his facial reactions when the ghosts show up and the jokes are simply hilarious (such as "This will scare the Dickens out of you.") Surprisingly, the film also manages to have a little holiday heart in it towards the end, which surprised me most in a dark comedy.

This film can be cheesy, but with the original approach to a classic Christmas tale and Bill Murray's entertaining performance, Scrooged is a fun little comedy filled with pure fun and heart.

Christmas Cards

We received our first Christmas cards last week, thanks Pat, Sally, Maxine, Frieny Pam, Elise, Joanna and another Pam.

The wife sent out a lot while I have so far have sent out one. Most of our cards arrived with the help of the scouts so far and that 25p a card much cheaper than the 60p changed by the Post Office for a first class stamp. Pity the scouts only deliver locally (Cardiff some of the surrounding areas) we could have saved a few quid.

When the boys were in school we would have hundreds of cards stretched across the wall, but people don’t seem to send cards. I like Christmas cards unlike  Birthday card and the rest forced on me. I just see it has a big rip-off and a simple massage on Facebook will suffice.

I fact I bet I will receive more Christmas greetings on Facebook than receive cards.

Toy Memory

I was never a fan of Subbuteo growing up, all that finger flicking did my head in and unless you nailed/glued the pitch down on a board, it would move all over the place. Somehow I did end out getting my boys a kind of Subbuteo game but it was the beginning of the Sega Master System and the Nintendo. Video games all but killed of table football and lots of other games.

I remember getting this football game one Christmas and it gave my brother and me hours of fun. I can’t remember who got it has a present, but I think it was me.  If not I must have been cheesed of a bit being the football fan out of my brother and me. Trying to pin point the year is difficult, but I would say I was around eight?

It was very easy to play around each player there was a dip which would trap the ball give you a good chance to line-up a pass to your player or a shot at goal. The goalkeeper slid from side to side and was trick to control leave yourself open to a long range shot at goal.

Radio Times

While in the shop buying my morning papers my eyes come across a notice asking if you wanted to order the Radio Times Christmas edition or other TV schedule magazines.

The guy in the shop told me he barely sells any most of the year but come Christmas he will sell out. I have not felt the need to buy a copy in donkey years has newspapers these days cover the Christmas TV scheduling extensively.

My mind drifted back to days long gone when really need to buy the Radio Times (BBC) and TV Times (ITV). Both would be ordered from the local shop and there would be heightened sense of excitement in our house as time closed in on their release. Soon as I got my hands on them I would write a list of the films and then badger Mum into watching what I wanted to watch, however it didn’t always work.

Pity before this two-week special edition hits the shops I know what films are on, shows and the soaps storylines has they have been widely reported in the press. I put my name for a copy for old times’ sake but at a cost … £3.20, a reported hefty 14 per cent on last year’s issue. On a lighter note if I was to put it away for a few years I could at least double my money selling it on ebay.

'Tis the season to be sober - Fa la la la la la la la la

Library picture at party drinking

I am not a big drinker, unlike my earlier years when I could be official called a piss artist. I am such a lightweight drinker these days I have five cans in the fridge from last Christmas! How sad is that. The old Peter would have knock them back by Boxing Day as I hang my head in shame.

I asked my youngest last Christmas to buy me four or six bottles, he buy a slab of cans!!! Why I asked myself as he lifted most to take to a party. There was never much alcohol in our house at Christmas growing up Dad liked his drinking in the pub/club not at home and Mum hardly drunk at all.

There was never much of a drinking culture around my friends in my teens either unlike today. If I was at a party or in a pub don’t get my wrong I would very much partake of a drink or two but I have never liked drinking at home. I was a late comer to Christmas drinking my main drinking day was Boxing Day helped in no uncertainty term by my love of football. Home are away to pub would be the first port of call while away the coach/van or car would give one a head start.

I have never been a tea or coffee drinker, I have had one cup of tea in three years and that was recently to celebrate my release from hospital. And since I kicked sugary and ‘no added sugar’ drinks into touch I have little enjoyment in drinking. I am contemplating my first booze free Christmas but I just seem all wrong and it’s not that I fancy alcohol-free booze.

Am I going to crack open a can or bottle this year?

Christmas Day TV Wars

The big two Television players for the coverited number one spot for the Christmas Day have nail there colours to the wall with the all-important 5pm to 10pm schedule released. There are a number of head-to-head clashes meaning the iplayer and others will be call into play.

The soaps are regarded as the big two with the TV companies with the BCC’s EastEnders regular the top show on Christmas Day while Coronation Street has not managed to knock them off the top spot.

17:00 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special v Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs at Christmas

Still warming from the Strictly series which finish four days before Christmas and with the likes of Rochelle Humes, Rufus Hound, Sara Cox and Bros singer Matt Goss taking to a Strictly ballroom and hands down winner for the BBC. Paul O’Grady will be spreading festive cheer with a seasonal visit to the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

My predicted winner: Strictly BBC
Our House … Strictly

18:15 Call the Midwife v Emmerdale

Very tough one to call, both show are very popular with Midwife regular pulling in around 9m viewers. It could help at they are following straight on from Strictly I suspect it may just edge out the competition. You know what you get with soaps like Emmerdale some major drama.

My predicted winner: Midwife BBC
Our house … Emmerdale as the wife is a soap junkie.

19:30 Dr Who v Coronation Street

We see Matt Smith’s final performance in Doctor Who with Peter Capaldi expected to make his proper arrival in the show as the new regeneration of The Doctor. Traditionally with all soaps like Coronation Street on Christmas Day there is a wedding, death or the dreaded reveal of some secret and it should be the same with Coronation Street.

My predicted winner: So close to call but I think Coronation will just steal it ITV
Our house … Dr Who if the wife lets me

20:30 EastEnders/Mrs Brown v Downton Abbey

BBC will be looking to EastEnders to bring home the viewers and they will be hoping the arrival of new Queen Vic landlord Danny Dyer and family among with the inevitable other dross will do it. It will be followed by comedy with the Mrs Brown Christmas special give the BBC a double header against ITV flagship Downton Abbey Christmas special. Over on ITV Downton fans will see the Crowley’s head for Buckingham Palace.

My predicted winner: EastEnders/Mrs Brown
Our House BBC away the way

A joyous 53 hours

I have always maintained that my Christmas starts at 6pm Christmas Eve and ends bedtime on Boxing Day. After finish off any shopping required for me it’s lock down time Christmas Eve, TV and a takeaway in the old days the work would not finish until late because of present wrapping something I don’t miss.

Today money in a card, how easy is that. No need for me to get up ready but if the weather is ok, dad will be wandering down for a few hours and family tradition, but don’t mind the visit. We hope our elders will graces us with a visit for Christmas Dinner has last Christmas was the first time he was not here choosing Christmas Eve for a visit. If he is not here that will mean three for Dinner we don’t count our youngest (24) he will be happy with a plate of pigs in blankets (sausages’ and bacon), some Christmas dinner.

Boxing Day is a quiet day for me surrounded by football. The wife might go shopping into town to spend any money she received has presents, she is not one to let grass grown to quickly under her money unlike me. It need to be a fairly quiet day after the eating the previous day although there is the Turkey leftovers to clear, a curry and sandwiches’ is the normal way for most families.

Not a so Merry Christmas for some

More families are depending on food banks to feed
their families this Christmas.

Has we shop until we drop those of us who can or have planned and prepare for Christmas remember the thousands of families who will be dependent on emergency hand-outs from food banks and other charities in the two weeks over Christmas.

Who knows next Christmas it could be you or a family member who could have to rely on the support of a food bank or toy bank. Just thing not long ago we might have been packing boxes to send to families in other counties now they are just as needed here. It’s been reported 60,000 people, including 20,000 children, will receive help from one of its 400 food banks over the festive period in one of the riches counties in the world, sad or what.

A food bank volunteer, said: “We had some families with four and five children coming in on Christmas Day who were absolutely desperate. It’s heart-breaking.

“A lot of people have struggled since the changes to the benefits system were introduced earlier this year.

“One minute they are getting a certain amount of benefit then the system changes and they are left with less or nothing if you fell foal of the rules.

“In the last year, we’ve".

If you have some spare food why on contact your local foot bank and see if there is a pick-up point in your area or buy an extra toy a donate it to one of the many organisation collecting for disadvantage children.

One mum of four from Cardiff, said last Christmas: “For months I’ve struggled to feed my children. This year, I was given a hamper from my local food bank three days before Christmas.

“It was the first day I can remember not feeling scared about feeding my family"

Christmas is coming, Peter’s getting fat…

Nah – not really. Just keeping up the Christmas feel remembering Christmas. I have downgraded food from naughty to nice my excess weight is going slowly but I have not set a goal.

I have been good so hopefully Santa will knowledge the fact with a few Clark’s products in his sack. No not shoes … by Clark’s products I am thinking of the famous Cardiff Clarks pie and a Clarks pasty or two maybe wrapped in some pretty Christmas paper. I would be very nice to round a bit of a shitty year at nearly didn’t see me celebrate this year.

Top selling toy of 1970

The toy in question for 1970, was the Stylophone. Advertised as a toy for boys and girls, which was a bit unusual for a toy to cross the gender divide, could it be called a toy though?. It was heavily advised TV and in the papers by Rolf Harris, with nearly every kid wanted one making it the must have gift of that Christmas.

Mum and Dad always tried to do the best for us, money was always tight and even at my tender age I think I understood. Something we would have to wait a bit longer for that must have toy but hey, there was a lot of love in the house. I was never disappointed with my Christmas presents; never throw a tantrum, just got on with it.

Therefore, It was very much surprised on opening my present that morning and finding a Stylophone. The truth! I didn’t really want one, I could have thought of lots of other things I would have liked. However, I spent time trying to get some kind of sound out of it. The sound was easy, a strangely annoying pitch, follow the instruction with the help of mum I soon discarded it. I was surprise Rolf Harris got so much out of the damn thing I can’t remember anyone getting a decent tune out of one.

A Past Christmas Memory (part 2)

This is part two of my Christmas Day memory I wrote last Christmas taking up from where I left off has we were about to leave the house for church in my chosen year of 1970.

Church was necessary chore being a Catholic family beside for mum. There was no argument on the subject of church at any time let alone Christmas it was a must and no say on the subject. Dad would have already done his duty having fronted up for midnight mass in advance of taking by brother and I to church at a more respectful time. Fun thing was! I wanted to go to mid-night mass but had another year to wait for that pleasure.

Church would always be packed-out, over flowing to the brim on Christmas Day, standing room only at the back. There would be whole families in attendance and the twice a year parishioners who turn turned up for Easter and Christmas. 1970 we would have Father Bernard presiding over proceedings at St Cuthbert’s and you could tell he would be marking the register in his mind making sure all his flock were present. It was not unknown for him to knocking your door to check why you missed mass.

I was never a fan of old Bernard he actually scared me. I dread going up for communion, kneeing, mouth open to receive the host. I had visions of him standing over me pointing telling the congregation this boy is evil. The plate/collection would be hefty unlike the other 50 weeks, like Easter noticeable more notes in the collection. I always thought the money was the priest wages as a kid making me reluctant to put my few pennies in the plate.

Mum would be at home cooking a full on Christmas dinner in a kitchen so small I sometime marvel on how she managed it. It was Dr Who Tardis. Being 1970 we were now a family of five with the birth of my sister Andrea however, no church for her to young. Home after church meant you were in for the day and it was not a long walk home, one school and five house away to our house. Has we were coming out of church the Bethel Baptist lot would be going to church but most of them were not locals, they travel in. If we had a new bike mum would let us out for five minutes to have a go the street would be empty but for other children testing their new bikes out.

Before dinner, it would be toys, TV and a new sister to play with. Full on dinner with lots of greens would be laid out on the table. I didn’t do greens back then, but mum would insist on loading my plate much to my annoyance. The transition in our home was dinner around 1pm follow by the rest of the day glued to the TV. BBC was the choice channel in the house and even today, I still prefer the BBC Christmas entertainment than any but in these days of soaps through most of the evening it’s harder these days.

Back than we had programmes like children’s hospital were celebrities would visit a children’s ward. Top of the Pops, the Queen, Bill Smart circus, Disney Time all my favourites has a child not so much the Queen, but she was always there. After the Queen we would sit back coal fire blazing away just been together stuffed like the Turkey earlier. A light tea mainly consisting of turkey sandwiches’ and much less sweets.

Has a child bed always came easy for me on Christmas Day and I would head to bed with a smile on my face.

I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas

Who does not want to open the curtains on Christmas morning a see it snowing, well I do even if anyone out there don't.

Remember the film White Christmas starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, everyone must have seen it. About two entertainers helping their old general out how runners a winter hotel with no snow. Then they organise an army reunion for Christmas Eve the concert is a big hit and at the end sing ‘I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas’ as slowly behind them the barn doors open and its snow.

This Christmas I will open our patio doors looking for snow drifting to the ground on Christmas morning.

Food glorious food = Queuing

When I was young, I never remember mum shopping until she dropped, buying half a shop in some mad Christmas food panic. Yes, she bought a few extra loafs of bread and extra milk but that was about it has shop would be shut for two days, even longer if Christmas and Boxing Day fell either side of the weekend.

Christmas Eve shopping is crazy, car parks full, supermarkets full and transport a nightmare but year after year people who say never again are back in the queue at the tills. I was part of the madness for years, getting frustrated in queue that moved shower than a snail. I tried to break the mould by going shop with my sister and husband at the ungodly hour of 6am and we would full their car to the brim nearly braking the suspension, mum babysitting at my sister while dad would be doing the same at my house.

But, what broke the camel’s back forcing me into a drastic change was seeing two people was six supermarket trollies full to the brim trying to pushing them towards the tills. I couldn’t really talk being in convoy with the wife in a wheel chair and two trollies myself. I thought to myself … this is madness. Now we dodge the most of the madness do the shopping days before Christmas Eve and using the internet, smaller till lines and a lot more less stress. Still shop big though but thinking more along the line of food lasting one or two days.

Snow report Christmas Day 1970

Christmas Day 1970 was a white Christmas for a number of places in the UK especially in the southeast. High pressure was between Scotland and Iceland and this allowed a cold easterly flow across the UK.

This brought snow showers and with maxima close to freezing and as a result the snow settled. Snow depths by the end of the day were generally around 20cm over the higher hills of the SE to a few cms on the lower ground.

Snow showers did fall across other parts of the UK but south Wales and Northern Ireland missed out and parts of the West Country only had occasional snow showers.

Cartoon

Cardiff boy number 1 Christmas 1970

Priced out of a memory

I nipped around my local corner shop the other day and while perusing the magazine shelves I noticed he had a couple of Christmas annuals.

It was copies of the Beano and Danny, not my comics has a kid, they were on my brothers reading list. I was a tad bit more sophisticated and read the Beezer and Topper. Seeing them got my childhood juices flowing and I was tempted into purchase one deciding on the Danny as I was a pie man just like Desperate Dan one of the main characters in the comic.

I was thinking £4-99 was my limited to spend so I was somewhat shocked at the £7-99 price tag. My happy reminiscing soon drained away and I drifted out of the shop.