Twixmas

The odd period between Christmas and the New Year when we tend to forget what day of the week it is and get totally muddled when we realise that Next Year is, in fact, now.

Christmas decorations should come down now - or stay up until Twelfth Night which is the custom in many houses. Twelfth Night, or Epiphany Eve, is the last night of the Twelve Days of Christmas. In some places it is considered unlucky to take your decorations down after that date - January 6 this year.

But if you forgot to water your tree – that is if it is a real one, and if you had a roaring fire, or the heat turned up or just a houseful of people generating their own heat. Then the poor Christmas tree may be looking sad, old, tired, and dropping its needles. Many of us will feel an affinity with the tree although not many will be dropping their needles.

The poor tree is no longer a cheerful decoration and can go, garden waste subscribers can recycle their real Christmas trees in their kerbside collection. Remember to remove all the decorations and cut it up to fit your green (or, in some cases brown) bin.

Remember to remove all decorations and lights, chop it up into smaller pieces and place it in your garden waste bin. Some friends I know have an easier method of disposal: their tree is in the same room as their wood burning stove, so the clippings go into the stove until all that is left is only good for supporting the growing of runner beans. Or you can take the tree to the tip, otherwise known as the Woking community recycling centre in Martyrs Lane.

There is the packing away of the decorations and deciding whether to chuck those lights which weren't working – or should they be given a reprieve and while we try them once more before deciding whether it is the loft or the bin for them. Are they 'small electrical items' or just 'landfill'?

Checking you have noted the names of all who sent Christmas greetings, is important, as is noting the 'must follow up' cases where mention was made of something important in the sender's life – a baby to congratulate, or a death to commiserate. I list the senders on my Christmas document and add any life-changing event alongside the names to mention next year 'My, she must be over a year old now!' And sadly, delete the names of those who will no longer take comfort for our writing to them.

My Christmas document includes much more than cards sent and cards received. Also listed are gifts sent and gifts received, these are important so that similar gifts are not sent the following year. That's all very well if the recipients are keen collectors of some item and would welcome yet another piece of paua jewellery. But a girl has only one neck and two wrists and there comes a point where she drops hints that something else would be very welcome.

This is where thank-yous come in – my stepmother sent my small daughters liquorice of all sorts and they politely penned their thanks. Resulting in a similar gift next year, and the year after. But how could they have written that, although they appreciated the gift, none of them enjoyed liquorice?

Also on my list is what to do and when – it is a list of items which might be forgotten: washing-up liquid, dishwasher tablets, loo rolls, long matches for candles and batteries for remote controls, computer mouse etc and toys. It can put a severe damper on the delight of receiving a toy which cannot be used because on the label - probably in small print – is the message 'battery not supplied.'

There is also a list of food for Boxing Day breakfast when the numbers in the house may have swelled considerably. On the list of food items for Christmas day I have Christmas pudding and alongside it a note to supply an alternative to Christmas puddings, such as ice cream, for the increasing number who say they dislike the traditional Christmas pudding.

Stollen has now taken over to some degree, it is described as a German cake containing dried fruit and marzipan. If you check on the ingredients of this fruit bread there is a similarity to those in a traditional Christmas pudding: milk, sugar butter, salt, rum, eggs, marzipan candied citrus fruit, almonds, raisins and various spices. Stollen does vary in quality and taste – I am now, slowly, being won over by it. But it's name is so dull, and sounds stolid and sullen.

Of course I tried to find out why it is called Stollen. It is not much help to discover it comes from the Middle High German word 'stol' which translates to 'post' or 'pillar.' Evidently the original Stollen was shaped like a cradle, representing Jesus in the manger and therefore popular at Christmas. Our mince pies serve as a similar remembrance, supposedly being originally oblong in the shape of a manger.

Having written all that about food I realise there is something I must add to my list: Alka-Seltzer. Other effervescent antacid pain relievers are available.

Customer dis-service

We went to see Evita, at the Rhoda McGaw Theatre presented by Waos Musical Theatre - their next production will be Anything Goes next May. We all enjoyed the show but I think I heard - in the welcome and 'please turn off your phones' – that we were in the McGraw Theatre. The only R should be that the theatre is named for Rhoda McGaw, the once Communist, once councillor for Woking.

With me – still a slow walker - was my 94-year-old friend - an even slower walker, a granddaughter and two daughters, one of whom is currently suffering from a foot problem. We were therefore delighted to make use of the Shopmobility car park which leaves just a short walk to the theatre. After the show my friend and I used the lift to go up to Shopmobility. We noticed staff wishing us good night as we walked along the long corridor and I noticed a door being shut behind us. We waited at Shopmobility for the others, thinking they were delayed because they had met friends, eventually they turned up.

For some reason they had not been permitted to pass along the corridor: that door being closed after us and they being told to go downstairs, out into Gloucester Square, and back in through the Peacock entrance and up to Shopmobility. We all thought that totally absurd, especially as it was raining and they got damp having to exit the venue only to re-enter further along. Was this to separate Rhoda McGaw audiences from New Vic pantomime audiences? But the two theatres were not exiting at the same time so there was not going to be a health and safety issue as far as we could think. So, why the shut door?

Happy 21st

Woking Debates has been going on since January 2013. The Debates discuss topics which are of interest to the people of the Woking area – and to the wider world.

In the past the topics have ranged from ‘The future of Woking, how the town and borough should develop over the next 30 years’ to ‘Prison: are there more effective ways of reducing crime?’ There are speakers from a degree of authority but most important are those who attend the meetings and speak up with their own thoughts and points of view.

Organiser Keith Scott said: “The Woking Debates have been an opportunity to explore ideas to create a more peaceful and fairer world starting here in Woking. We have had some great debates and inspiring speakers and we thank them all for their time and enthusiasm offered freely.”

“Aptly, the next subject for discussion is ‘Could Woking benefit from holding a Citizens’ Assembly?’ Participation in all types of elections has been falling in recent years, especially amongst young people.

“Reasons for this include a sense of powerlessness and a lack of trust in our politicians’ ability to take a wide range of information and opinions into account when making complex decisions. This is an opportunity to find out about citizens’ assemblies and whether any important issues that Woking faces could benefit from using this approach.”

There will be ample opportunity for everyone to share their views and concerns about this important topic at the meetings scheduled for Saturday 18 and 25 in January - the latter on Zoom only. Meetings are held at the Woking United Reform Church in White Rose Lane, GU22 7HA from 11am to 12.30pm.

Arrive early, from 10.30am, for tea and coffee. Entrance is free and for further information contact Keith Scott on 01483 824980, [email protected] or www.wokingdebates.com

Kindness is Alive

I was pleased to read on social media a message from someone in Woking:

“To the lovely woman and her husband parking at Waitrose in Guildford today - thank you for paying £2 (coins) for my parking as the cards were being declined.” #kindness #payitforward

Let's make the performance of Random Acts of Kindness our New Year's Resolution – along with my previous suggestion to stamp out littering. Of course that little story underlines another of my complaints – the apparent phasing out of coins!

Stamping out Waste

Postage stamps, on their own, don't amount to much addition to the recycling bin. But at this time of year it does seem a waste to chuck them out. A plea on social media as to how to get rid of them usefully brought the news that St Paul's Church, in Addlestone, has asked for stamps at the back of the church. Evidently one of the congregation sends them to charity in bulk.

Now, how about those blistering blister packs!