Well, actually, if you don’t mind, I could do with a little boredom now! The last few years have been altogether too interesting for my comfort! What with the credit crunch, austerity, the first coalition government that I can remember in this country, Brexit, Donald Trump, North Korea, it seems the excitement never ends. I suppose the most interesting thing over the last year was Mrs May’s unnecessary General Election, in which she asked the electorate to deliver “strong and stable leadership”. The electorate duly delivered, but, unfortunately for Mrs May, delivered it to the leader of the opposition instead!
In 2017 we continued to lose stars of stage and screen and general entertainment. Here’s a few: Brian Aldiss, Greg Allman, Keith Barron, Chuck Berry, Hywel Bennett, Rodney Bewes, Tony Booth, Glen Campbell, Antonio Carluccio, David Cassidy, Keith Chegwin, Fats Domino, JP Donleavy, Roy Dotrice, Bruce Forsyth, Robert Hardy, John Hurt, Gorden Kaye, Christine Keeler, Rosemary Leach, Mary Tyler Moore, Roger Moore, Barry Norman, Peter Sallis, Tom Petty, Don Williams.
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Once upon a time, a long time ago, in a far distant land, a baby was born. The date was 15th March 270AD, and the baby was named Nikolaos (anglicised to Nicholas). He was born into a wealthy Greek family in what is now part of Turkey, and was then a very small part of the Roman Empire. He probably had a fairly comfortable childhood, despite the early death of both parents. His family was Christian, and he grew up in that faith, eventually becoming Bishop of Myra, in what is now Turkey. He was, by all accounts, a generous and compassionate man. He died in 343AD, aged 73, which is when his life started to become interesting. No doubt because of his generosity and compassion during his life, he was soon recognised as a saint and, because he was a particular favourite of sailors, his fame soon spread, including to Scandinavia. In Holland, he became known as Sinterklaas.
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Once upon a time, a long time ago, in a far distant land, a baby was born. The date was 15th March 270AD, and the baby was named Nikolaos (anglicised to Nicholas). He was born into a wealthy Greek family in what is now part of Turkey, and was then a very small part of the Roman Empire. He probably had a fairly comfortable childhood, despite the early death of both parents. His family was Christian, and he grew up in that faith, eventually becoming Bishop of Myra, in what is now Turkey. He was, by all accounts, a generous and compassionate man. He died in 343AD, aged 73, which is when his life started to become interesting. No doubt because of his generosity and compassion during his life, he was soon recognised as a saint and, because he was a particular favourite of sailors, his fame soon spread, including to Scandinavia. In Holland, he became known as Sinterklaas.
Our name “Santa Claus” probably arose from that or a similar name. Strange, isn’t it, that a Turkish saint should end up living at the North Pole and riding in a sleigh pulled by reindeer. Given that he probably has many descendants living in the region that encompasses Turkey and Syria, I wonder what he would think of what is going on there now.
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My association with Santa in Ilfracombe over the last few years has led me to realise what a lovely lot of children you all have. One of the questions Santa routinely asked was “What is the best thing about Christmas?” The majority of children predictably answered “Presents”, but a considerable number answered “Being with family” or similar. Some even replied “The High Street Lights”! A surprising number are well aware of the religious side of Christmas. Over the years, quite a few children had lost grandparents, often grandfathers, which plainly affected some of them deeply. However, one young lad, several years ago, after explaining that all he wanted for Christmas was his grandad, ended “or an iPad”!
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Probably the last thing about Santa until later this year: He has asked me to pass on his thanks to John Mackenzie of Leemac Designs.
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Probably the last thing about Santa until later this year: He has asked me to pass on his thanks to John Mackenzie of Leemac Designs.
John produced at his own expense all of the stars that you may have seen decorating Santa’s sleigh this year. Many thanks, John.
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And finally, I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
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And finally, I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
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