A Very Merry Christmas!

It’s on the way, folks – Christmas cheer and a thoughtful point or two…

I’d just like to quickly say “Merry Christmas!” to you all. Even if Christmas isn’t part of your creed. No matter. The good wishes and goodwill should be universal. Especially after the year we’ve had.

I hope you find the time to relax, enjoy yourself and share the company of friends and family…depending on what sort of bubble you’ve recently created for yourself.

I also wanted to thank you for your support. Not just for this year but since I staggered onto the scene, all those years ago. It’s been nice to have your company during the journey and I raise my glass to you for all of your help, contributions and comments during that time.

Finally, if you find yourself alone this Christmas, I want to extend my support to you. If not in physical terms then at least in spirit. I wouldn’t be so hubristic to state a solution for that but there are a few, er, audiophile hints and tips I can suggest.

If you’re a reader, buy or reserve a book or two from your favourite author to one side and get yourself lost in the literary world during the festive period.

For TV fans, I would suggest doing the same with a box set or three. Something light-hearted maybe? Something cuddly and reassuring? As a fan of classic Hollywood, I’ve been particularly enjoying the works of Busby Berkeley, for example. Wonderful escapist fare.

For those who don’t normally partake, may I also suggest YouTube? I know, a lot of you probably don’t go there but YouTube can…can be a comfort. The reason? Because it can be ‘personal TV’. And specialist covering everything from hi-fi to cooking, car maintenance to gardening. You name it, basically.

You need to do a bit of searching and filtering to find your favourites and there’s a lot of dross on the platform but there’s also a range of good people over there who spend a lot of time producing quality work.

The thing about YouTube is this, if you find a person that connects to you, you can strike up a sort of viewer relationship with the presenter. Mostly because you see that same face every time. You get to know them, their little ways, their humour and style and, if you connect and you enjoy the content, they can, in some ways, be a comfort if you’re alone.

Just a thought.

But enough of my rambling. I wish you the very best over the festive period and also a very peaceful and secure New Year. I look forward to your company in 2021.