लिघ्ट्स

So here it is again. Though really I suppose it has been with us for quite a while already, it seems to creep in as soon as the summer is over and makes the winter months even longer than they already seem.

I was asked the other day a rhetorical question. Why is it that December 21st is the shortest day, and yet, the 25th is the longest?

Now I know that it is early for my seasonal rant but, if you can’t beat them, join them I suppose, though joining does rather go against what little grain that I have left.

The reason for my earliness is that this year we seem to have had so many messages in the press regarding saving planet Earth, and it is good to see that people are beginning to respond, by using less plastic bags, but now we have an invasion of Griswalderie that not only erases all the good work but quite easily reverses any trend towards reducing the output of carbon.

Yes the lights are everywhere. What is more they get cheesier and more elaborate each year. Houses, trees and gardens light up with so much energy that the heat generated and the increased daylength is causing plants to flower early and birds to nest. Never have I seen such public displays of bad taste as appears at this time of year. Some do it for fun – hard to imagine what fun can be gained there – while others maintain that it is for charity.

I have a suggestion here. Why don’t they count up all the money that they spend on the lights and the electrical power, and give that to charity instead. By so doing they could help save the planet by saving vast amounts of energy, including the fuel consumed by the car loads of people that tour around laughing at their efforts and the coach loads of tourists that actually pay money to see them.

Ok I know I loathe Christmas almost as much as most other quasi religious festivals. But really this is not about religion and has not been for many years. Christmas is simply a celebration of capitalism and the greed that goes with it. Like capitalism, Christmas only survives by growing, and it seems to be growing more tasteless and tacky as each year passes.

The only saving grace that I can imagine, is that once the 26th comes along, that spring is on it’s way.