Christmas is about tradition and enjoying what we know

Let me explain. How old is your Christmas tree? Okay, you have a real one, but for those of us who go down the synthetic route, can you remember when you bought it?

Sadly for us, most of our decorations are new, but I love going back to the folks’ house. It’s like being a child all over again.

That trip up into the loft to find the boxes of decorations starts the ball rolling on a wonderful nostalgia trip.

Tins of Quality Street from the 1960s and 1970s are stuffed full of baubles, tinsel and pine cones.

An old leather suitcase my grandad used to have is full of decorations.

The fairy for the top of the tree was made by my mum when she was six. That was 1959. It still sits proudly on top of their tree.

Then they go overboard. Streamers connect the main dining room light with the four corners of the room.

Then there are the balloons placed into those corners, two round ones and one long one in each.

I don’t think my mum has ever noticed the amusing phallic nature of those balloons. My great aunts certainly haven’t!

Then there’s the music. The British public are not interested in modern Christmas music in the slightest. No contemporary artist would dare try.

Nope, it’s Slade, Wizzard, Wham, Shakin’ Stevens et al that’s the order of the day. It’s the same with movies. A Wonderful Life, Home Alone, A Christmas Carol. Watching repeats of old festive favourites on the telly gives us that warm, reassuring feeling.

Christmas is about tradition. Enjoying what we know. A chance to forget the rat race for a week and just relax.

I’m looking forward to seeing the excitement in my grown-up children’s eyes when our now-new decorations come down from the loft in years to come and it takes them back to those safe, secure and carefree days of childhood.

That’s what Christmas does for me. Just for one week. Bring it on!

WE’RE CRYING OUT FOR THE RIGHT SORT OF INVESTMENT IN GOSPORT

Not only is Gosport to get a new by-pass to nowhere, we’re getting another two drive-thru fast food joints.

Yippee! Sorry for my sarcasm, but does Gosport really need another McDonald’s and another Costa Coffee?

The Brockhurst Gate development will even promise another Lidl, to go with the one that’s near the Gosport ferry.

I’m all for new development and we’re crying out for the right sort of investment.

But there are 100,000 people to serve here in Gosport.

So can we please have some fine dining restaurants, a cinema complex and a dual-carriageway to the M27 to cope with it all first, please?

Oh hang on, there’s going to be a M&S food hall.

I’ve changed my mind!

LET’S CELEBRATE THE FACT SHE WON FOR SIMPLY BEING HERSELF

Social media has given the ordinary person a voice. A chance to be heard and change opinion.

But sadly, it can also bring out the very worst in human traits.

All the talk on social media of ITV fixing, or manipulating, I’m A Celebrity so Gogglebox participant Scarlett Moffatt would win was just ludicrous.

She may have been seen as being short of common sense judging by her comments on the show, but we got to see more of the real Scarlett.

She was revealed to be a caring, thoughtful and rather articulate person.

A girl who was bullied as a child and today suffers from internet ‘trolls’ won I’m A Celebrity because she was simply being herself.

Let us please celebrate that fact.