LIGHTS IN THE SKY 2013

[Stanley]

I suppose I am a bit. Xmas was important to me because of the kids but these days I get my Xmas kicks second hand from them....

[David Whipp]

Everything looks a bit drab with all the lights taken down or turned off...

[Cathy]

Our shops (yours too i would imagine) are selling Christmas decorations at 1/2 price, sounds good but unfortunately its all stuff that no-one wanted to buy in the first place.

[Marilyn]

Believe it or not, but our supermarkets are rolling out Easter Eggs and Hot Cross Buns!

[Cathy]

No!! That's just wrong, greedy buggers

[Moh]

There was an ad on tv last night for Cadbury;s cream eggs.

[Belle]

I am a bit late with the Happy Christmas but here's a Happy New Year to all of you ... i know, I am a bit late with that too!

[Pluggy]

The CO-OP has been flogging hpt cross buns since early December.

[Stanley]

Cathy, I agree with you! Belle, never to late to wish people well, nice to see you popping in.... Tell Deadly stove is fine, CH is held at bay!
I noticed yesterday that streets were littered with pine needles.... All the emitters are shut down. Now we can concentrate on the good news flowing in.... More cuts to support the 'economic miracle' and renewed fighting in Iraq. Deep Joy!
Take foil out of hats and recycle. Not sure what can protect us against the news, any suggestions?

[Cathy]

Any suggestions, not really, unfortunately other people's free will(s) can cause so many problems for so many innocents.

Count your blessings I reckon.

[Stanley]

I apologise for being the bearer of bad news but I noticed this morning that the small emitters have been installed on the lamp posts on the main road and in the town centre..... The annual onslaught is starting early!

[Pluggy]

You could have let us bask in our delusion a little longer Stanley.

[PanBiker]

I think they installed them under the cover of darkness, I noticed them last night. Thankfully no signs of any emissions yet. I will have to monitor carefully on my radio station for any activity.

[Stanley]

I think that in view of the problems current in main street retailing the Xmas campaign is more important this year. Tin foil is available at all major retailers and a double layer in the hat appears to be effective.....

[Tizer]

Be careful when you open up those poly bags containing a magazine or receive a clothing catalogue. They're inserting subversive material with pictures of holly and tinsel were you least expect them. Not fit for the eyes of children!

[Stanley]

A timely warning Tiz.... I was watching a TV programme on domestic debt and noticed that while the mother was being interviewed one of her small children was immersed in a catalogue titled 'Toys for Christmas'. Add pester power and you begin to get a whiff of the causes of much debt and crime. Expectations massaged by advertising. Consumption is king and so many people expect an expensive holiday and Xmas season each year.
Watch any interview about pensions and the modern expectation is that we are entitled to a better standard of living and holidays when we get old and so must save more money and invest it in a pension. The rule of thumb calculation is that in order to do this you have to save a percentage of your income each year, the amount is half your age so if you start at age 40 years you must invest 20% of your income. Great for the pensions industry who of course make money out of the savers.
Notice also that the last month's retail sales figures were down 1%.... This means that the Xmas bonanza is even more important. Expect an intensified campaign!

[Stanley]

I was reminded yesterday that the emitters and mind control by the advertisers aren't the only dangers at this time of year. Read THIS for a cynical trap for parents suffering from pester power. You can get an Argos credit card, spend, spend spend on toys and presents and pay nothing until April 2018 as long as you exceed £99 spend. How hard will it be to be approved? I know I am an old cynic but I suspect they'll take almost anyone. The old message, buy now and pay later......

[Stanley]

Now CH is almost universal I suspect that our old tradition of sending letters to Father Xmas up the chimney of an open fire will be very rare. A pity! We were convinced that it worked because as long as we were not greedy we got what we asked for as if by magic. Of course there was always the stricture that it only worked if we were good!

[Tizer]

The elves have to do prior safety tests on chimneys now to make sure they meet the regulations and won't result in Father Xmas being exposed to high levels of NOx and carbon particulates.

[Stanley]

So a plate of carrots and a glass of whisky in the hearth are also a thing of the past?

[Tizer]

The carrots will have to be organic and the whisky non-alcoholic!
Talking of that, I've tried Stowford Press non-alcoholic cider and it's one of the best imitations I've had so far. Made by the traditional cider company Weston's of Much Marcle in Herefordshire.

[Stanley]

I like their cider (and Thatcher's as well) and use it in my cooking. It makes good gravy with Mutton!
Stand by for the first news items about difficulties with Turkey production and the failings of the Xmas Clubs......

[Stanley]

It's closer than you think......

[plaques]

Reading a book on Nikola Tesla, you may remember him from radio and hundreds of other electrical inventions, back in the 1930's the Canadian's detected an intense low level emission of around 10Hz. At the time they thought it could be some foreign power trying to control the population's thought processes. So you never know these strange emitters that appear in Barlick could be just an attempt to get people to spend more money over Christmas. Wishful thinking I say.

[Stanley]

Many of us are convinced that they are P. As soon as the large ones are erected and lit in the Town Square, people start buying Xmas Trees. Explain that!
For weeks now the sofa companies (what would we do without them!) have been promising "delivery before Xmas". I think they are the first onto the band wagon.
The CBI report that high street sales figures crashed in October, the fastest rate of decline since 2009, so expect an even more intensive effort to get us to spend, spend, spend.