Authors Electric

Ah, December. Christmas approacheth, and what does that mean?  Television ads, of course. And, oh my, do we in the UK have a bizarre selection this year.  Stupendous New York Christmas tree. How did this happen, this escalation of The Christmas Advert? So that all the big hitters – John Lewis, Marks and Spencers, Aldi, Tesco etc – feel they have to go all out every year to outdo themselves in lavishness and sentimentality… And do they actually boost sales, the point of advertising in the first place (though you'd never guess it from these intensely concocted minidramas)?  Well, funny you should ask that (oh all right, that was me). Because, judging by the reaction to this year’s John Lewis creation, they do. Though not quite (tee hee) as the Great Retailer intended (see below).  But first to the one there’s been all the fuss about. Yup, the M & S offering , which, because of popular outcry, had the scene showing red and green paper hats burning in a fireplace rem...

               The Problem of wishing ‘Happy’                                                        Frozen pond, foggy day In the weeks before Christmas just past, when I was writing greetings cards to the many friends we haven't seen or communicated with regularly or recently,   it felt more appropriate to wish them hope than happiness …. Indeed is it ever right to   assume happiness is uppermost in the minds of far-flung friends? After such a year, who knows what might have happened in their lives? Floods, fires, and hurricanes are commoner, Covid and its consequences lurks throughout the world. Hope was a better fit. Even though, or possibly because, I found myself dragged down by the dark damp weather, and the short days, into a feeling of hopelessness. I’ve  ...

Remember how books ‘as we know them’ were on their way out? I seem to remember a few years ago the same kind of prediction was going on around Christmas cards: rising postage, conservation, e-alternatives and a multi-faith society made it look like the white bendy things were heading for oblivion and I think that was a reasonable prediction. I culled my list, signed up for an e-card service and found old friends turning up in my inbox rather than on my door-mat. I can’t deny a pang of conscience for however many thousands of jobs relied on their production and design and the possible loss to charity coffers (how many of us make that donation we really mean to?) but that was balanced out by the feel-good factor of thrift and eco-friendliness. Well here we are a few years on and I glimpse a small revival of the robin and reindeer cheeriness. Cost of postage it has to be said is a factor and I’m surprised (in a good way) that my children are now asking for addresses of cousins and...