I won’t keep you long this Christmas Eve.
You are busy wrapping gifts, searching for that Delia Smith chestnut stuffing recipe or, if you are of the male persuasion, about to begin your Christmas shopping and hoping that the local petrol station has chosen today to launch a new line of jewellery.
But I wanted to send you a short message to wish you and yours a very happy, peaceful Christmas and a fulfilling, prosperous 2024. This Substack went away for a while but it’s been good to be back in recent months and I’ve greatly appreciated you taking the time to read it and share posts with your friends and family or on social media. It means a lot.
I’m hoping that 2024 brings me more opportunities to post on Substack, whether it’s writing about the state of play in Scottish politics or documenting what is bound to be an interesting (read: unhinged) UK general election campaign. Plus, I’ll try to keep a good mix of ‘content’ — I hate that word — with more writing about Israel, the wider world, culture and movies.
One final word: I know this time of year is difficult for some. Too many memories of people gone, not enough people around to make new memories with. I’ll confess I’m not very keen on Christmas, which is a magical time for children, a magic that can be relived by the parents of children, but which can be a melancholy and perhaps lonely time for the rest of us. I have no special insight into how to get through Christmas Day other than doing as much as you feel up to, letting everything else rush on by, and ticking off as many films on the Radio Times TV guide as possible. (My recommendations: Chariots of Fire, BBC Two, 11.15am; The Wizard of Oz, Channel 5, 3.10pm; Home Alone, Channel 4, 5.30pm; and Forrest Gump, Channel 4, 10pm.)
Whatever you’re doing for Christmas, I wish you a peaceful day and look forward to continuing our conversation soon.
Best wishes,
Stephen
The shopping description made me and my husband laugh. Have a happy Christmas. We both enjoy reading your posts.
Feliz Natal, Stephen. 🎅❤