Well, when my mum read my last column she said, ‘I didn’t know you were a Scrooge’; in all honesty I am not so this week as it’s Christmas I am going to turn tail and do what Scrooge did on Christmas Day in that I will share my positives of Christmas present!

There are some lovely new traditions that I think are certainly worth keeping and in truth probably cancel out my negatives of my column past. Let’s start with house decorating.

I think the idea of placing decorations outside of the house and lighting your house up for the world to see brings joy to many especially the children who eyes light up with wonder at a decorated houses, for me I love spotting them when out and about and I am sure you agree that they certainly brighten up the streets on dark wintery nights.

Artificial Christmas Trees, now whether you are a lover or not I do believe the ones today certainly outshine the ones of Christmas past. Back in the 70’s they as I remember were made of tinsel like stuff and looked very artificial, todays I have to say are very impressive and can at a distance can often be mistaken for the real thing. I for one am a fan and we have a pre-lit one which certainly cuts down on the decorating job.

Then there is the vast TV channels which now give you so many options of what to watch over the Christmas season. Back in Christmas past with only three channels the highlight was Top of the Pops (although I could never understand why this was on when we were all sat around the dinner table). These days if what you want to watch is on over lunchtime, well tune into ‘catch up’ a real bonus.

Zero Alcohol drinks, these are great for those who either don’t want to drink or indeed can’t because of meds etc. I have tried a few and I have to say some are better than others, but I guess like alcoholic drinks you have to taste a few to see what suits your pallet. There is such a choice across all types including beer, spirits and wine, my only gripe is, come on public houses and restaurants start stocking them to help those drivers feel like they are having a tipple too.

On-line shopping, love it or hate it for those who find getting the shops difficult it is a huge asset. This Christmas due to a poorly back and leg (hence having a zero alcohol Christmas) I haven’t been able to go and shop as I usually do so on-line shopping has been the way to go. I have to say not always my go to shopping choice but it has been a real positive as I guess it is for the disabled and elderly every year.

I hope the above has made up for my Scrooge of Christmas past and you can agree that I have found stronger positives to share. In reality I love to enjoy a mix of both as it is still a joy to hear that those ‘old songs’ still get played year in and year out and while selection boxes are smaller they still exist and are probably better for the waistline!

So, have a wonderful Christmas and I wish for all readers a Happy, Healthy and Blessed 2025 x