More from the Anti-Santa

Once again I don the sacred Bah Humbug hat and become the Anti Santa

Recap, I am the opposite to Santa, but I am not the enemy of Santa, just to get that straight

He is Matter, I am therefore Anti-Matter. The Yin to his Yang, the opposite side of the coin

You get the picture

Where as Santa gets to remind people of the joyous happy times at Christmas, as the Anti-Santa I represent the not so nice parts of the Christmas Story. As Santa's day is 25 December, mine is 28 December, the day that the established churches commemorate the children slain by Herod as he sought to kill the Christ Child.

My task is to remind people of those for whom Christmas is an ordeal to be endured, not enjoyed. The bereaved, of whose ranks I joined in 2014, the old and the lonely, (like the man on the Moon in the John Lewis 2015 advert ), Those who are stuck in hospital, those whose loved ones are away serving their country, not sure if they will return alive, Those on the breadline, those families living in hostels, and so on.

The kind of people some would banish from their gatherings at the festive period as they guzzle down their umpteenth glass of Prosecco, for fear that they might dampen the party mood. Such people need to be reminded of the phrase, "their but for the Grace of God go I"

Some of these people on hard times, or hurting at this time of year, never thought it would happen to them.

I note that in 2014 they remixed the Band Aid Song do they know its Christmas, to focus on Ebola. It was a worthy effort, especially as many artists gave their time to produce that record, and good on them. I however prefer the 1984 original 

That song was made for the Anti Santa, especially the line "Well tonight thank God it's them, instead of you"

Those swilling their Prosecco, please take note

Please remember those less fortunate during these festivities. Please be sensitive to those who do not feel like celebrating because of hardships in their lives, if need be give them space, but don't treat them as outcasts, show some humanity please..

There is still so much to do, and I as the Anti-Santa am more needed than ever to remind people that Christmas has a dark side, and we need to remember and help those who find this a time of year a time of pain rather than a time of joy.

I am still the Anti Santa

In 2013 I wrote a piece called I am the Anti Santa, available here

Every year from 01 December until 25 December I wear a Bah Humbug hat, (See here)

I showed a copy of my original blog to someone who does not like my hat, and actually got be a Santa hat with an annoying bell to wear,

Their response was along the lines that Christmas should be time just to consider the joyous things and not the miserable things. This person just wants Christmas to be happy all the time with any gloom banished.


It sounded like a point was spectacularly missed

In my original blog I wrote

To the realm of the Anti-Santa belongs those who remember loved ones who have gone to that country, from where those who are borne to can never return, especially those who mourn the recently departed as they endure their first Yuletide separated from them. 

By shear irony of fate, I am included amongst them as my mother died this year, and in our church an elderly lady passed away. This will be my first Christmas since my mother's death, and the way some go on about not wanting any gloom to dampen proceedings am I not supposed to even think about her?

Try going around to people who now find themselves on their own due to bereavement or desertion, or a loved one serving abroad and  insist they get into the Christmas spirit?

That seems like arrogance.

You will have a good time or else!!!

Where is the sensitivity?

I would hope that Santa would be more understanding.

Have these people ever visited a hospice, or a hospital at Christmas. Yes the people there may try and cheer it up with a scrawny tree and pathetic tinsel, but behind the façade is a sadness and resignation. Death and pain is ever present, whatever it says on the calendar.

And yet, the pain that some feel by this season is amplified by certain people who insist on us being jolly, because they do not want to think of such things, thank you very much.

Is this not cruel?

Someone is hurting here, but they do not care, they want to have a time of jollity and feasting, and if someone dares to not be feeling the same, irrespective of reason, like death of a parent or close confident, then perhaps it would be best if they were not invited. (Don't want to dampen the party spirit do we)

I don't want to be a party pooper, but for some, this is the most lonely  and saddest time of the year, especially as places they try and escape to, shut down, leaving them isolated, because nobody wants them around to put a dampener on things.

And then there are the homeless, and destitute who have to rely on organisations like Crisis for a temporary roof over their heads. This time of year is not much joy, although some may make valiant attempts at putting on a brave face.

The point I thought I was making last time, is that for some, because of the way Christmas was hijacked by commercialism and some idealised notions, for some, to use the vernacular, "it sucks."


People are told to put on a happy face, no matter what has gone on in their lives, or get out of sight.

Now some people are happy at this time of year and have a whale of a time, and good luck to them. They inhabit the realm of that jovial character Santa.

But they need to remember, life is uncertain, as they say in scripture, "Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we may die". I found that out personally when my mother passed away after a sudden and unexpected illness, where it was discovered, too late that an aggressive cancer had erupted and weakened her so much, she was not able to recover from the emergency operation that she had to have.

So I will continue to represent, those for whom this season brings despair and desolation made more intense by the festive season and imposed jovialities of others.

I will continue to try and get others to show more sensitivity and compassion on those who find this time of year hard.

Because there is so much work to do in this respect, I am still the Anti Santa

I am the Anti Santa

Everybody knows of Santa, he represents to jovial, frivolous and lighter side of Christmas. To Santa belongs joy of presents, happiness and festive good cheer.

Lucky old Santa

However like many things in this universe, various things in our lives are like coins in that they have two side, and Christmas is no different.

I am the Anti-Santa

My realm is the darker side of Christmas, the parts that are banished from Christmas feasts and tinsel covered nativity plays and party games. Those parts we would like to gloss over and ignore but can not.

Santa's day is 25 December, the day of the Anti Santa is 28 December, for the feast day for the holy innocents. It is this day, 28 December that is dedicated to remembering the slaughter of all the boys of two years and under  in Bethlehem and surrounding districts.  This brutal massacre was on the orders of King Herod as he sought to slay the Christ child, after the magi who were supposed to tell him where the Christ child was, left for their own countries a different way, after being warned in a dream. This is recorded in Matthew 2:16-18, along with the fulfilment of the prophecy in Jeremiah 31:15 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Why is this never told in school nativity plays?

Fortunately Joseph had been warned in a dream, and our Lord was taken to safety in Egypt  (Matthew 2:13-14)

But being the Anti Santa is not limited to parts of the scriptures that would upset middle class parents once a year as they watch their darlings mangle yet another school nativity.

Oh no

The Anti-Santa represents the despair and desolation made more intense by the festive season and imposed jovialities of others.

To the realm of the Anti-Santa belongs those who remember loved ones who have gone to that country, from where those who are borne to can never return, especially those who mourn the recently departed as they endure their first Yuletide separated from them. Some of these departed, may even be offspring who should have been hope for the future, cruelly snuffed out, like those who were slain by Herod's diktat.

Then there are those, who know this will be the last time before they are so separated from their loved ones or know that they will be departing for that far country..

The Anti-Santa represents those who have loved ones serving away from home, secretly worried that something might happen so they they never come home on this side of eternity, yet forbidden to show it lest it spoil some inane festivities planned by others.

Even when Grim Reaper is not involved there are those who are in destitution, possibly with families, seeing those items that clever marketing people say are a must have, which are beyond their reach. Sometimes these families in destitution have young who go hungry, like those in famine and war struck places that appear on news channels, which others may callously switch over, because it offends the spirit of jollity they wish to maintain.

Then there are those who have no home and live in the streets, sleeping in doorways, in parks or wherever they can, seeing all the bright lights of the festive season. The Anti Santa represents them as well

 Let us not forget those who have lost their livelihoods just before this seasonal time of year, sometimes because it suits someone high up in a cost cutting exercise.

There might be many other things that belongs in the realm of the Anti-Santa, such as the lonely or those who suffer depression. It is not that the Anti Santa likes these things to persist, but that they are not forgotten when Santa brings his warmth and good cheer on 25 December

I am the Anti Santa, I am tasked with looking after the darker side of Christmas, the parts that are banished from Christmas feasts and tinsel covered nativity plays and party games. As I look out at jingles and bright lights of the province of Santa, my counterpart there is one piece of music that sums the up message from the realm of the Anti Santa.

It is from the 1984 "Do they know it's Christmas" by Band-Aid

The lyrics from that song that relay a near accurate message from the realm that the Anti Santa must represent, are these:

But say a prayer, pray for the other ones. At Christmas time, it's hard, but when you're having fun, there's a world outside your window, and it's a world of dread and fear. Where the only water flowing, is a bitter sting of tears. And the Christmas bells that ring there, are the clanging chimes of doom. We'll, tonight, thank God, it's them instead of you

I am the Anti Santa and I bid you a good Christmas Tide, may you be blessed by my counterpart Santa, but please forget not those who are forced to inhabit my realm, the realm of the Anti Santa.

Thoughts on blocking internet porn

 Thoughts on blocking internet porn

We can sympathise with aspirations of our Prime Minister about some of the worst examples of internet pornography, but something about his ideas makes me uneasy.


With apologies to Martin Niemöller

First they decided to block internet porn of the worse kind
And I did not speak out because I am not into internet porn as it disgusted me

Then they decided to block videos put up by Islamic extremists, that even moderate Muslims find offensive
And I did not speak out because I am not into watching Islamic extremist videos.

Then they decided, in all fairness, to block videos put out by far right racist groups
And I did not speak up because I find the rantings of the far right repugnant.

Then they decided to block details on how to make terrorist weapons like bombs and explosives
And I did not speak up because I did not want to know how to make that vile stuff.

Then they decided to block details that anorexics share on how to starve themselves
And I did not speak up because I found these things incomprehensible

Then they decided to block discussion of anything that might be critical of government policy, as they said that would be considered sapping national morale and giving aid and comfort to our enemies
And there was nobody left to speak up for us who had concerns about government decisions, that affected our lives,  and we were silenced.

Will anyone bother to watch the Paralympics 2012?

So 27 July 2012 is expected to have a great opening show for the London Olympics. Big Deal!

When do the Paralympics start? Anyone know? Anyone care?

(Before anyone comments, it runs from 29 August to 09 September 2012)

As the blog title asks, after the razzmatazz of the 2012 London Olympics how many devotees will stick around for the 2012 London Paralympics?   

Will BBC1 devote a whole night to the  opening of the 2012 London Paralympics?

On a side note, the Fire fox spelling checker does not like the word paralympics and prefers paralytics. Is that how the disabled are still seen? Even Google blogs do not recognise the word Paralympics

Why are we tacked on the end as an after thought? Why is the Paralympics flame not going around the UK? As it stands, it comes across as lets allow the normal people to play first, and when they have gone home, we might let you out to play for a bit.

The disabled still face discrimination in spite of the Disability Discrimination act and for those with mobility issues, some places are still not accessible. The DDA as we call it was supposed to bring in better equality for the disabled, but for some that is not the case.The practise of Olympics first and then the Paralympics afterwards when most people head off home, seems to somehow highlight this discrimination

The organisers missed a trick with these games. How difficult would it have been to have integrated both Olympics and Paralympics and run them at the same time. Olympic events with Paralympic events in one mega tournament. That for me would be a step towards true equality of opportunity

Will we ever see that?

Somehow I don't hold out much hope for that nor am I holding my breath. What would be a start would be for someone to update the spell checkers to allow the word Paralympics at least?