Christmas Every Week: Christmas Ain’t What It Used To Be
Arnold Kellett’s poem expresses a longing for Christmas as it used to be.
Christmas ain't what it used to be -
And it's not just a trick of the memory ...
In far-away pre-electronic days
We sat round real fires, and basked in the blaze,
We stood round pianos, and carolled away,
We gathered round tables, a joy to survey -
Choicest home-cooking, home-baking, home-brewing,
Convivial feasting, with no-one half viewing,
Head-turning, neck-twisting, so anxious to see
The strident enticements of Yule-tide TV;
Instead of the non-stop compulsory screen
We'd the homely old wireless, with the King, then the Queen,
Speaking in person, uniting the nation,
And Commonwealth, too, in worldwide celebration;
While the kids on the hearthrug found simple delight
In the toys and the treats from the magical night
When stocking and pillowcase Santa Claus filled
And each young believer rewarded and thrilled ...
But there's so much to buy now, such freedom to choose, And superstores bursting with goodies and booze, And TV commercials to speed up the shopping For the annual madness of tit-for-tat swapping! Gone crackers with spending, till royally sat, We're appropriately crowned in a daft paper hat. . .
Oh it's bright and it's jolly -just as seen on TV ... But Christmas... ain't what it used to be.
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To order a copy of Arnold’s much-loved book Kellettt’s Christmas please click on http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kellets-Christmas-Arnold-Kellett/dp/1858521157/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231273574&sr=1-4
