Alex B Cann column: Christmas values

The Tameside Radio Breakfast presenter's latest thought-provoking column for us features his views on how much to spend on Christmas gifts, 'Scotch Egg Gate' and much more...

After the challenging year we’ve all had, it’s perhaps not a huge surprise that we are embracing the spirit of Christmas with renewed vim and vigour this year. 

According to the British Christmas Tree Growers’ Association, sales of real Christmas trees are up by a quarter. 

Demand for poinsettias has soared by a whopping 672 per cent, whilst it looks like Mariah Carey will finally get to number one in this week’s Official Singles Chart with All I Want For Christmas Is You over a quarter of a century after it was first released. The likes of Michael Buble, Perry Como and Wham! are dominating playlists, and elaborate outdoor festive light displays are adorning Tameside’s towns.

I’m a little startled by the revelation by a leading money website that apparently we each plan to spend £965 on presents. This is certainly not my plan, and I’ve come to an agreement with my wife and parents that we’ll stick to a strict budget of £20. 

We’ve all spent more time at home this year, and I totally understand there is a pent-up desire to get out and splash the cash in the shops. In fact, with the likes of Small Business Saturday and Fiver Fest, there are some brilliant vehicles to encourage us to think carefully about where we spend our money. 

However, I honestly feel spending almost a grand on gifts is a little excessive. I’m not even sure if we’ll get to sit down together over Christmas, as I continue to weigh up the risks. To be honest, I’ve always been a fan of random gestures during the year. 

When was the last time you received a handwritten letter from a friend? This is something you can do any time, provided you’ve not misplaced your address book and can stomach the eye-watering cost of a book of first class stamps nowadays (almost a tenner for 12!). 

On the subject of writing letters, make sure you send Santa an email or letter to us here at Quest Media Network, and you could win a Kindle Fire Kids’ Edition! And your letter read on air.

Talking of restraint, when it comes to spending it is a bit of a delicate matter.

I totally understand how crucial these few weeks are for the retail sector following Lockdown 2.0, and I’m certainly not dissuading you from splashing the cash if you’re able to. 

I do worry though about the pressure on those who have lost their jobs during the pandemic, who get by on very little, and who are perhaps tempted by ‘buy now, pay later’ schemes or store cards with sky high interest rates.

I’d say a lovely handmade greetings card containing a letter would be as warmly welcomed as an elaborate gift, and for someone to know you’ve been thinking about them will count for a lot during these emotionally difficult times for all of us.

Moving away from the embattled retail sector, I’ve been following ‘Scotch Egg Gate’ with some interest this week.

What constitutes a substantial meal? I once had an amazing scotch egg at Stalybridge Buffet Bar, which was wrapped inside a giant onion bhaji, and was the perfect accompaniment to the first pint of the ‘Ale Trail.’ 

I’m fairly sure it was a large bar snack, not a meal, though. One pub in a Tier 2 area has apparently resorted to serving pot noodles, and a nightclub in London has added Golden Arches menus to the experience in a bid to keep serving.

I sincerely hope the light at the end of the tunnel proves to be real, and that by Easter next year we can do some of the things we miss again. I am fairly confident that most of us will make sensible decisions over the Christmas period when it comes to meeting up.

Tameside Radio will be providing the soundtrack, and keeping you company over the festive season. 

Nothing has been normal about this year, and I suspect yuletide will feel very different to any other year. 

There are examples in this newspaper every week of great community spirit in Tameside, and I think that will prove to be the thing that gets us through these dark times. Well that and the many Christmas lights!

I’m on Tameside Radio every weekday morning from 7-11am, plus I keep an eye on the local football scores with the live Super Scoreboard Show each Saturday afternoon from 3-7pm.