In Defence of Rubbish Christmas Decorations
A gently nostalgic essay lamenting the loss of terrible old Christmas decorations – paper chains, ceiling tinsel, Santa door posters – and what it says about how we traded messy joy for tasteful aesthetics.
All I Want for Christmas Is a Risk Assessment
Once you describe Santa’s job to an HR department, the entire operation collapses under the weight of policy, training, and paperwork.
The Season of Ding-Dong and Disaster
In our house, the Ring doorbell is less a piece of technology and more a summoning spell for chaos, featuring one adult shih-poo, one cockerpoo puppy, and an unhealthy interest in USB cables.
The November Armistice: A Ceasefire in the Christmas Wars
Britain’s annual ‘too early for Christmas?’ row gets a peace plan. Meet the November Armistice: a light-on, tree-off truce that respects Remembrance, permits cosy pre-heating, and saves the big sparkle for December—while, obviously, Mariah Carey is already defrosting on the...
October 31st: The Annual British Siege
A cultural comparison of Halloween etiquette — one nation turns its entire suburb into a theatrical production, the other treats it as an unscheduled home invasion.
Mindfulness for the Chronically Irritated
A practical guide for those who want to be calm, compassionate, and spiritually centred — but also think most people are idiots.