On the 6th Day of Advent, 2014…

MR. FEZZIWIG’S BALL A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens “Yo Ho! my boys,” said Fezziwig. “No more work to-night! Christmas Eve, Dick!  Christmas, Ebenezer! Let’s have the shutters up!” cried old Fezziwig with a sharp clap of his hands, “before a man can say...

On the 5th Day of Advent, 2014…

A VERY TEENAGE CHRISTMAS 25th December 1971 Here I am at age 14, on Christmas morning, in Winchester, Hampshire, England. I have opened all my gifts and I am wearing them. I was taught that you always dress immediately in anything you’ve been given as a gift to...

On the 4th Day of Advent, 2014…

CHRISTMAS AT THE JEBEL ALI HOTEL, UAE December 1987Many of you know that I worked at the Jebel Ali Hotel, just outside of Dubai City in the UAE from 1987 to 1989. Over the past couple of years, I have mentioned in my December blogging the brilliant Christmas...

On the 3rd Day of Advent, 2014…

THE CHRISTMAS CAKE December 2011 was a truly shabby month in my neck of the woods. I’m not a naturally depressed person —  though I grant you it’s easy to get despondent in the days leading up to Christmas, particularly during a historical era of...

On the 2nd Day of Advent, 2014…

BABUSHKA — A CHRISTMAS STORY FROM RUSSIA  Long ago, an old woman named Babushka lived in a tiny cottage far from the city. One snowy evening, just as she was preparing her meal, Babushka heard a knock at the door. She opened it to find three men standing before...