Christmas, lights... and deaths

The shortest day has passed, we’ve had our ‘Christmas Starts Here!” party and now all I have to do is wrap a few presents, cook the ham and all is ready. Actually, the party was a bit thinner this year; a number of friends have gone down with flu, but I suppose that does mean they’ll probably be right by Christmas day.

One of our guests was Lord B, an old friend, who brought news of the death of an old comrade and adversary. JS, a past Lord Mayor (1984), (for a biography see http://www.leicester.gov.uk/about-leicester/lordmayorcivic/roll-of-mayors/1928-2000-roll-of-lord-mayors/1980---1989-lord-mayors) and one of my predecessors as Chairman of the County Council, held absolute control of the City Labour Party for years and regarded people like me as dangerous lefties. For many years we wrangled and jousted to gain positions of power and I have to say I admire her assiduity in never letting an elected position go by without fighting for it; never allowing a policy decision to be made without her group’s input, and more, sticking with the fight until she could no longer get about and was struck down by serious illness culminating in her death aged 81. Maybe I’ve mellowed, or maybe all that political wrangling doesn’t seem so important since I left the Party behind, but I think my main feeling was that this was the end of an era.

Incidentally, I’ve been looking at people’s Christmas lights, wondering if the financial situation was causing people not to put up so many lights this year. I don’t think so! This one is on my way home through one of the council estates, but it’s by no means the only one... or the most extravagant.

Of course, OUR lights are very discreet and tasteful,

as are our decorations.

This little nativity we bought in in 1969 in Nassau, Bahamas from a group of nuns at a Christmas sale outside our little white church. We paid $1.

Ivy

I really don’t have much use for ivy as a plant; it climbs all over everything weighing down trees and telegraph wires, but a few strands would about a chandelier seem to add something indefinable.