Covid-19 won’t take Christmas off, so we’re being cautious this year | Rick Jackson

For some, it’s way too early to start playing Christmas songs, but for many, we need something to look forward to.

We normally don’t start our Christmas playlist until December after all the towns’ and cities’ Christmas lights have been ceremonially switched on.

But this year it’s different.

So Wham, Elton John and Band Aid have all had an airing so far and even Darlene Love’s All Alone On Christmas from the Home Alone movie got me feeling festive.

I hope I haven’t peaked too soon!

With the announcement that Lockdown 2.0 ends next Wednesday, we can start making tentative plans for Christmas as a family.

Tier 3 for us may well mean the lightest of all restrictions and the temporary increase in family ‘bubbles’ does mean more of us can get together over the festive period.

This changes nothing for us.

Government guidelines or not, we have to take our own responsibility in not spreading this virus, which has ruined 2020 for many.

For me, Covid-19 doesn’t ‘do’ Christmas.

The virus will still be there and as more people head out to celebrate, students come home and party, the virus will begin to spread again.

It’s only one Christmas. We don’t think it’s worth blowing caution to the wind, or being a little bit brave, as some have said.

I want to still see my mum in 10 years time.

There will be many more Christmases for us hopefully, so for this one, we are keeping it very low key and will probably only see my wife Sarah’s parents.

She’s one of four and when you add all our children, it’s nearing 20 people altogether.

We want our folks around for many more Christmas’ to come, so this one will be quiet.

They have underlying health issues, as do my folks and it really is not worth putting them at risk after all we’ve done this year.

My nan is 92 and the only thing I want to give her this Christmas is a nice pair of fluffy slippers from Marks & Spencer.

It’s been a bumpy ride for Alex Thomson

On the breakfast show we’ve been keeping our listeners up to date with Gosport sailor Alex Thomson on his progress in the Vendee Globe Yacht Race.

It was going brilliantly for Alex who had taken the lead, then disaster struck.

His all-carbon fibre yacht developed serious structural problems, which in some respect comes as no surprise considering the speed at which he travels and the size of the mountainous waves he’s encountered.

In a scene reminiscent of the movie Apollo 13, solo yachtsman Alex has been given instructions on how to fix the problem by his land crew.

It’s been all cutting and gluing fibre to the cracks! He’s sadly slipped to eighth, but that for me would be the least of my worries. The notorious Cape Horn is coming and his yacht is held together with No More Nails!

I need more novelty mugs!

I’ve decided I don’t have enough novelty shaped mugs in my life.

After we had our extension built and a new dinner service introduced, they were thrown out! I’ve been inspired by Pete and his little sister Sophie from the TV show Gogglebox who have doughnut, shark, elephant, rainbow and even hamburger-shaped mugs in their lounge.

Sadly they are banned from work ever since I gave a Secret Santa of a plain mug with a phallic shape inside to a presenter. It ended up in our work mug cupboard. Unknowingly, this was once given to a very important client who came in for a meeting with the MD and sales director. She had the shock of her life when she took a couple of sips!