Belfast Giants Days of Christmas

On Tuesday my second cousin and his bride who had minutes before stolen the name of one of his triplet sisters walked down the aisle as man and wife to a live rendition of Mariah Carey's All I want for Christmas is You.

My friend, and fellow blogger, Andrew Reeves and I are both big ice hockey fans indeed he writes up match reports on the Edinburgh Capitals games. Every day getting to work I pass the Odyssey Arena home of the Belfast Giants. They are a sports team that has done a lot to reach across the divides in the new Northern Ireland. So here is their version of the same song, promoting their Christmas games schedule.

The First Day of Muppet Christmas

Last year the Muppets did a lot of excellent Christmas Songs so I am going to share them with you over the next x day.

Turkey That'll Take Less Time to Cook than Fetch

Kay Ure left her husband in the lighthouse they live in and cafe they run on December 19th to head into town to fetch the Christmas turkey, cranberry sauce, a jar of coffee, dog food and some last minute presents. However the weather come down heavily while she was out and she never did quite make it back to Cape Wrath Britain's most north-westerly point. For the last 4 weeks she has been living 11 miles away at Durness in a friend's caravan.

Well her husband John had yesterday finally made the 11 mile trip in his 4x4 to pick up his wife and her provisions so now Christmas can really begin for the Ures. We wish them a very Merry, if delayed, Season's Greetings. I wonder if they have Sky+ the Christmas television so they can watch it together?

At least there is one thing, the Turkey won't take nearly as long to cook as it did to fetch from the shop.

Now Where Were We #Doctor Who

Huh? What's happened? What am I doing here?

Last I recall I was at my brother's house in Bangor on Christmas Day playing junior monopoly and trying to watch the Doctor Who Christmas Special. Now I find I'm in Scotland, there appears to be an awful lot of snow outside.

Who is this on my Facebook and Twitter profiles?



And who has been writting this on my blog?

WARNING Note to all blogreaders this is just a plot devise based around the two part Doctor Who Christmas Special if you haven't seen it I do apologise.

It's Christmas

I'm writing this well in advance. I do not intend to be writing any fresh blog entries today. However, if you have come across this blog I can understand. I have spent a couple of Christmases on my own because of not being able to get time of work to make travelling back and forth either worthwhile or practical.

So as you are here I'd better give you something worth looking at.

So over to Tim, Graeme and Bill. That is Brooke-Taylor, Garden and Oddie or the Goodies with thier 1973 send up of the Great British Pantomime.



If you like part one check out:

• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5

Have a good Christmas wherever you are and whoever you are with or missing.

Noughties Christmas Number Ones: Part Ten 2009

The final year of the decade and we are finally up to date. This may well go down as the year that people power fought the machine and won. One thing it does go down in history as is the first time that the UK number one was held by a record that was not physically available in any form in the shops, it was purely by download.

Yeah after last year trying to usurp the X-Factor and Simon Cowells stranglehold on the Christmas number one spot, this year the campaign started before the final winner was revealed. The record was chosen, a totally non-Yuletide song by Rage Against the Machine, Killing in the Name was the song that finally showed that people still decide who gets to number one not record executives.



But as it is so anti-Christmas I clearly have to balance it up with one of the Greatest Christmas number ones of all time. Take it away Noddy.

OK It's Only Thursday....but...

It is Christmas Eve.

So here are some variations of a theme. After all if Lord Lloyd Weber can do his Variations of a Theme by Paganini....what you mean you don't know this?



Then I can present some Variations of a seasonal 18th Century English, or is that French, classic. So here is the theme, so over to the Muppets 30 years ago in 1979 and John Denver. Personally I fell sorry for Mr and Mrs Bear for the performanace of their son Fuzzy during this.



First up of our friends we go to the land of Far Far Away where Shrek and friends give us this.



Here's one I was first introduced to 19 Christmases ago by my friend Rob Davis and all my Canadian friends really like this mikey take as well. If you haven't met a Canadian some of this may be no



As I'll not be having a curry for the next couple of days this one is just to keep the chaps at Four in One, Bathgate hope that I'll soon be back ordering a Biryani (most likely).



The Devil may want to return the Prada he is wearing if he sets eyes on this Janice Dickinson parody on our theme.



If you thought Fuzzy Bear was confused above check out this absolutely A Cappella version from Straight No Chaser. My awesome pick of the day.



Finally a little bit of Karaoke courtesy of the Llama's. I think you all know the tune so all together now.



Of course like my Friday weekend starting blogs this hasn't been blogged live. Indeed this was compiled a on the 4th. I have a nephew's birthday to attend to today. But may I wish all my readers a Merry Christmas and hope you've enjoyed at least some of the above.

Olive the Other Reindeer

At 12:40 on E4 Matt Groening's tale of the forgotten one of Santa's reindeer is being shown.

Rudolf of course gets all the attention, even getting that song sung about him by Johnny Marks based on the book of Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer that his brother in law Robert L. May produced in 1939. Plus most of the rest of us also know, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen since 1807 from the poem 'Twas the Night before Christmas by Major Henry Livingston, Jr.

With only a passing reference in Marks' song is the misspelt Olive the other reindeer. Here is a preview.



Meanwhile anyone with any spare glitter in the Livingston area like to pop it over to Caron as she has forgotten this important ingredient for reindeer food for tonight.

UPDATE: Caron now has this vital ingredient.

Noughties Christmas Number Ones: Part Nine 2008

We only have two more years to cover of the noughties Christmas top selling singles. But 2008 saw the start of a campaign of anti-X-Factor domination.

In 2008 the Christmas Number One did go the the X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke with her Version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah.



However, Jeff Buckley's version was just behind it at number 2 (the first time any song had achieved this on the same week for 51 years) and Cohen's original was at 36.

Of course Hallelujah if not Leonard Cohen's song is a very traditional Christmas sentiment. Here is one of my favourite versions of Handel's original Hallelujah Chorus, from the Soulful Celebration album version.



While we're on the subject of choruses one of my favourite things about Christmas as a kid was sitting there reading the Albums, for me that was The Beano and Rupert the Bear. Therefore when Paul McCartney re-released this for the Christmas charts of 1984 and 1985 it brought back many memories. It is one of only three songs from Christmas 1984 to chart three times the others* have already been featured on this look back over the noughties.



* Band Aid Do They Now It's Christmas...? and Wham! Last Christmas

Noughties Christmas Number Ones: Part Eight 2007

Christmas is getting closer you can almost imagine the sleigh bells are getting polished and the tack to hold Rudolph and chums in place in getting buffed. Yes there are three sleeps and three songs left that had been number one at Christmas in the decade.

So 2007 was the next act from the X-Factor and local lad Leon Jackson with When You Believe.



In 1985 Shakin' Stevens managed to conjure up a Christmas Number One with Merry Christmas Everyone.



Keeping up the Christmas theme, you can tell I'm getting in the mood now, lets have the St. Winifred's School Choir from the top spot in 1980 as well, with There's No-one Quite Like Grandma from 1980.

Noughties Christmas Number Ones: Part Seven 2006

Moving onwards with our X-Factor Christmas countdown in is now just four sleeps off the big day. So we carry on with the Christmas countdown.

2006 saw the start of Britain's next big female vocalist when Leona Lewis had A Moment Like This. Buy Syco seem to have stopped all the video embeds.



In 1983 rather more of a surprise the Flying Pickets took a Capella to the top of the Christmas Charts for the only time in UK chart history with their cover of Yazoo's Only You.



It sounds quite Christmassy without having a Christmas theme. So I guess it is time for a little Cliff to set that right. In 1988 he combined two essential Christmas components to come up with the seasonal chart topped, Mistletoe and Wine.

Noughties Christmas Number Ones: Part Six 2005

*Into the home stretch as we have only five more sleeps to Christmas day and our countdown of Christmas number ones enters. We also enter what must be known as the X-Factor zone. For the talent show ends the weekend before the last chart before Christmas and has dominated the seasonal top spot ever since, despite some concerted efforts to break the cycle in the last couple of years.

So in 2005 that was Shayne Ward with That's My Goal.



Now there have been a couple of Christmas Number Ones that have be at the top spot more than once. Yesterday we celebrated Band Aid, we also had Mary's Boy Child with both Henry Belefonte and Boney M. But only one song has hit the top spot twice for Christmas with the same line up singing it. It needs no introduction.



Having made the top spot first at Christmas 1975 it's re-release after Freddie's death in 1991 propelled it to the top for a second Christmas in 1991. Not really Christmassy. But as the Muppets are releasing a version* of it this year I think that links in to the 1955 song by Dickie Valentine Christmas Alphabet so here is the King of Christmas with his version.



* I also quite like the Lego version.

Noughties Christmas Number Ones: Part Five 2004

Well the countdown is hoting up we are mere days away from the big day. But in 2004 the same song was Christmas Number one for the third time in 20 years. It was time to know it was Christmas time with Band Aid 20.

Here are all three versions of Band Aid and Do They Know It's Christmas?

1984 So take it away Paul Young..et al



1989 over to you Kylie and friends....including Cliff.



2004 and finally Chris Martin of Coldplay and the rest for the latest version....Bono back doing his line that Jason Donavon and Matt Goss didn't give the same punch to last time.

Noughties Christmas Number Ones: Part Four 2003

There is now only a week until Christmas which means we are now on 2003 for our countdown of the Christmas number ones of the decade.

In 2003 we had perhaps the most inventive video for a Christmas Number One for the decade to accompany Michael Andrews and Gary Jules version of Mad World.



Me secquay's do get lame at times in this series, but from mad we get to Mud or more particularly the 1974 Christmas chart topper Lonely This Christmas.



This is turning out to be a rather sad and lonely look at Christmas singles past so let's up the pace if not the heart break quotient with this Wham! classic that was held of the number one spot by amongst other's themselves. But more of that tomorrow.

All They Want for Christmas is Votes

Earlier in the month Jeff said that the "storm over Alex Salmond's choice of Christmas card really quite remarkable and not a little bit depressing." Here is the card that he is talking about from the Scottish First Minister.



He went on the say:

"The accusation that Salmond has politicised Christmas is part of a growing trend for everything to be reduced to a petty level, and I do mean all parties for that."

So he seems to admit that there is a little politicising going on with Salmond's choice of imagery, however today the Times have run a report on what the other National leaders have sent out this year.

First we have the Prime Minister Gordon Brown, his card designed by the 19 year-old winner of an environmental photography competition.



Well there is a bit of Christmas in there with the Holly and a decoration hanging on it. Though maybe this is one decoration that the Brown's will come to when unpacking them next Christmas, and years thereafter and say "do you remember when?". But then again when he is in so much danger of not living behind the famous imagery of that door is he using it as a subliminal political message to return him through that door at some point this year.

David Cameron's scene is a snow covered tree.

But obviously he has been taking advise from Tory supported Kirsty Allsop in that it is all about 'location, location, location'. The tree of course is situated right in front of the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster*. The image is also cut out into the shape of the Conservative Party's symbol.

So maybe Jeff is right all the parties are clearly at it in politicising their Christmas cards. Except we haven't seen Nick Clegg's yet.

This wasn't designed by a child in a local school in the constituency, though Jeff did condemn Ian Gray for doing what a lot of Parliamentarians do in choosing their Christmas cards in this way (including SNP ones, whoops). It is actually is drawn by 8 year-old Antonio and 5 year-old Alberto Clegg. I guess in future years the proud dad will not be allowed to employ his family members in this way.

On a personal level I like the fact that Nick's card really is a family Christmas card. My elder nephew's school produce a card for each of the kids each year (may mean I get two this year as they are both at the same school). These are now a constant part of my Christmas decoration box. They are charming and cute, a reminder of what Christmas is about or at least who it is most special for. The other three no matter how you look at it contain some sort of political subplot. The Clegg card is something that many families send out every year.

Meanwhile my two nephews are seeing their Uncle Stephen and Aunt Jacqui in the same room for the first time ever in their lives this Christmas (apart from the elder's dedication service). She does work as a paediatric Doctor in Australia so coming back at this time of year isn't always possible.

* Any of you who though it was in front of Big Ben better not be hoping to win that QI game under the tree this Christmas. Big Ben is just the name of the deepest sounding bell of the peel in the tower.

Noughties Christmas Number Ones: Part Three 2002

Well there are now only eight sleeps to Christmas Day which means on my countdown of the decades Christmas number ones we are up to 2002.

She is now one of the people who si helping the shape the sound of the Christmas Number Ones as one of the judges on the X-Factor but in 2002 Cheryl Cole was part of another talent show band that made that top spot. Girls Aloud were top with Sounds of the Underground.



So Christmases past we look to another favourite Rolf Harris. He was at number one on my First Christmas with Two Little Boys. Here is Rolf in a recent appearance singing that song.



Of course as anyone who saw Rolf's Who Do You Think Are? this will realise how un-Christmaslike the sentiments of that song are now to him. He did sing a version of The Little Drummer Boy so here is the classic Bing Crosby and David Bowie version.

Noughties Christmas Number Ones: Part Two 2001

With nine sleeps remaining until Christmas Day it is time to continue the countdown of the decades Christmas Number Ones with a little bit of nostalgia to bring in a little bit more Christmas spirit. This post like all in series is scheduled to go live well in advance. Indeed this one will hit t'Internet while I'm on the Irish Sea so do not know if I will have coverage to blog live.

So we move unto 2001 when a couple of big stars from the entertainment world did something stupid. Err, no I mean a couple of big stars sang Something Stupid step up to the mike Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman.



Of course Robbie wants to appear in movies, especially it seems as James Bond and Nicole went on to sing in Moulin Rouge, so which singing film star is most associated with Christmas. Yeah that is right Mr Iain Dale's favourite Cliff Richard. He seems to always have a new Christmas single out although he has only been Christmas Number One three times as the named artist, equal with the Spice Girls and one less than the Beatles, but was also on Band Aid II to equal the Livepudlians.

Back in 1960 here is his first one with the Shadows and I Love You.



Of course Sir Cliff did also try to kick the whole Noughties decade at number one. Indeed it is the first decade since the 50s he hasn't been at number one. But here was his last number one in the nineties, which was actually to mark the start/end of the new millenium.

BA's Twelve Days of Christmas

On the twelve days of striking BA air crew gave to me

Twelve families sulking
Eleven babies screaming
Ten iPods blasting
Nine laddettes bitchin'
Eight bags a falling
Seven stewards all hiding
Six boards delaying
Five onion rings*
Four hours of sleep
Three fisty cuffs
Two smelly socks
And one million people delayed

Willie Walsh BA's Chief Executive has said:

"We are absolutely determined to do whatever we can to protect our customers from this appalling, unjustified decision from Unite. We do not want to see a million Christmases ruined."

The Union Unite say:

"Ruined Christmases will eventually be forgotten, certainly by next Christmas, but your terms and conditions are something you will have with you for the rest of your working life. BA must be made to see sense and it was reluctantly felt only 'audacious’ action would have any effect."

How they can determine that ruined Christmases will be forgotten that quickly is hard to understand. I'm sure that many people who actually have their Christmas ruined by not being able to go on the flight they have booked, and to find or avoid an alternative means of getting home will be far from pleased with the company that lets them down. In making future plans that customer experience is bound to be something they take into consideration when making a booking.

*After all they ran out of Turkey dinners days ago.

Noughties Christmas Number Ones: Part One 2000

There are now just 1o sleeps until Christmas, so I'm going to run down the 10 Christmas Number ones of the decade. Along with a classic number one of the season from the past (as to be honest most of them aren't very Christmassy).

In 2000 we were had the animated renderings of Bob the Builder. Anyone with a child, grandchild, nephew, niece or knowing a young person growing up this decade will have encountered Bob at some point.



So let's get a little more into Christmas. Henry Belafonte was Number 1 in 1957 with Mary's Boy Child. Only I couldn't find footage of him singing the song so here is Boney M's version.




But here is the man himself with Nat King Cole.

Fake Rolex and D&G Found in Bathgate

The news that fake Rolex Watches and Dolce & Gabbana dresses worth upto £1m have been found in a house in Bathgate takes me back to my days working in H. Samuel the jeweller.

I was once handed a watch and told could I fix the battery in it. Within 5 seconds I said no. the customer looked at be bizarrely and asked why. My response.

• The second hand stutters and does not sweep.
• The bezels are the wrong type.
• Switzerland is not spelt Swizterland.
• It is too light.
• The back case has a simple lift off mechanism, rather than Rolex's screw fitting.
• The 12 hour marker is a chipped cubic zirconia and not a diamond.
• You've brought it into H. Samuel rather than a Rolex dealer.

As the group did include Ernest Jones who were a Rolex stockists I should really have taken the watch in one hand and a hammer in the other and smashed it to pieces. But I just didn't have the heart and just sent the guy on his way.

However, be wary of what you are buying this Christmas. If you are looking for a named brand make sure it is up to the quality that you would expect it to be. The best way to do this is go to a recognised dealer of that brand. Fakes are not only illegal and poorly made imitations but in some cases can be dangerous and are often made using cheap labour.