However, being in the queue at Lidl's store in Pembroke Dock this morning set me off on a thought process which got worse as the morning wore on. A lady ahead of me was reading the head of her Newspaper and was aghast to find that there was an important piece of advice within on how to make 'gravy' for the Christmas Dinner. Being in the unpleasant mood I was in at the time, the lady actually helped to zap me out of it, and we had a few moments of fun, in which many other shopper/revellers joined in. Having been making gravy for sometime past we both had a banter as to how ridiculous the build up to the season had been.
I am almost certain that ever since late August, Magazines in various issues of weekend newspapers have been carrying advice on how to make a Christmas Dinner; Prepare the add ons, and drinks. The conclusion on my part anyway is that there must be a very poor level of cooking skill amongst the masses if they have not yet mastered the trick of preparing a decent meal.
Just think for a moment of the numerous items of journalistic drivel you have seen in the last few weeks about the matter. Proceeding onwards do not forget the TV Chefs who have had a field day with so called celebrities preparing the festive meal. The fact that celebs cannot, or have not yet mastered the required skill is not surprising!. Then of course we have had the benefit of each and every Supermarket and Food Processing company spending literally millions on TV adverts of how a Christmas dinner table should look like. Heavens above, has anyone ever seen a dinner table cluttered to the absolute hilt with a stockpile of processed food. There's no room for the knife and forks and plates. What is more stupid is that the adverts are probably already recorded or being scripted in readiness for Christmas 2015, and beyond. The phrase"Are you ready for Christmas" has been ringing in the ears for months, and I am convinced that is the point when my blood pressure takes a turn for the worse, and my mood swings become more variable than the weather.
I may have said on previous occasion that I am not a Religious bigot, and I really stick by that. Consequently the commercialisation of Christmas has become a real thorn in my side. As Christians we are taught through the New Testament of the origins and meaning of the Christmas story. The Old Testament relates the development of the world through the prophets and the way they saw things centuries ago.
Unfortunately as Christians we seem to have lost the ability of appreciating things as they used to be; what they have become; and be able to responsibly think ahead of what we need to do to make the future a stable world in which to live. Spare a thought for the reasons our military are currently engaged in 'peace keeping', 'stabilising disease', 'preventing/fighting terrorism'. Even our homeland streets are under the watchful eye of our security/police services to ensure we are safe in our homes during this Christmas spree. Before I lose the plot completely to anyone reading this can I just say that I trust we can take a long breath, jump off the bus of commercial insanity, and settle to a more steady lifestyle. The crushing of the Credit Card might be a good place to start 2015.
As for myself? Let me assure you I am not Scrooge - I enjoy my time working for and giving to charities. I cherish the ability of being able to help in my community. Above all, isn't it a thrill to be able to share time and giving amongst the family at all times, and especially at Christmas. So to all my readers - Have a Wonderful Christmas Season, and may 2015 be a Happy and Prosperous Year.
By the way - I will not be voting UKIP.
By the way - I will not be voting UKIP.
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