A Son of the Rock

I’m old enough to remember when the 25th December wasn’t a holiday in Scotland. My dad went to work in the morning, as I recall, even though he had a “white collar” job.
I don’t remember if the shops were open – local and paper shops likely were, I should think, but not the others.
It was the influence of radio and more especially TV emanating from England – with its different from normal programming at this time – that tipped the balance towards Christmas and away from New Year – which always was a holiday here, but not in England, then – as a focus of celebration.
As kids, of course, we always got presents, though not the floods some children may receive now (which the Credit Crunch may have stemmed a bit.)
Sometimes the good old days weren’t so good.

Certainly by the time I was a teenager, however, the present arrangements were the norm and Christmas was the juggernaut we all know and lo……

New Year was made a holiday in England by Ted Heath’s government, recognising the fact that there was so much absenteeism on Jan 1st – hangover induced or not – that making it a holiday would make little or no difference.
In Scotland we therefore got Jan 2nd – “Ted Heath’s day” as it was called for a while – and the tradition of the New Year’s Day football derby withered on the vine.

Despite its drawbacks and burdens, all the more so for those who’re struggling financially, the prospect of a holiday and respite from the daily grind is welcome at this dark time of year. Perhaps if Christmas didn’t exist, it would be necessary to invent it. Oh, wait a minute, Saturnalia…

(My thoughts do go out to shopworkers who have to ramp it all up again on Boxing Day.)

Seasonal felicitations to one and all: especially those who have been kind enough to comment on here in the past half year or so.