Ho! Ho! Ho! Just ten days to go!

We are all a bit cynical about how TV portrays Christmas over the two-month period before the big day. So, let’s look at some of the early offerings.

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Unexpectedly for me, not known as an animal lover, The Dog House at Christmas (Channel 4) turned out to be a very special hour, as we saw abandoned animals meet struggling people wanting something to love in their lives.

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Wood Green dogs home in Cambridgeshire has a lovely staff who clearly care for the dogs in the dogs entrusted to them. More importantly, they seem to have the emotional intelligence to find the right people to adopt their dogs in their care. We met a recently-divorced woman whose sons had brought her to find a new friend. We heard her talk of the challenge as she tried to put her life back together. A widowed woman and her children realised that their bereavement had left a massive gap in their lives and hoped that a new pet would help them refocus their emotions. The introductions are tentative and eventually affectionate. The process is watched over by the home staff who clearly know their dogs and have a real empathy for their applicants. The staff were supported by a lovely receptionist, who certainly knew how to put visitors at ease. A real Christmas tonic!

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Sandringham: the King at Christmas (Channel 5) made miserable viewing. A series of “royal commentators” and former servants told us what they believe will happen at Sandringham House when the Windsors gather for Christmas. There were so many jarring notes. Firstly, some of the servants have to leave their quarters, their homes, for a few days to make way for the additional relatives who are part of Charles and Camilla’s? extended ?‘blended’ family.? Secondly, the whole holiday is carefully timetabled to the minute, with changes of clothes for every meal and event; hardly a relaxing time. Thirdly, the Windsors apparently reduce the giving and receiving of presents down to a big joke, giving each other presents such as a toilet roll holder. Celebrating Christmas on a 20,000-acre estate may make this family contemptuous of ordinary folk, many of whom would like to buy their loved one one carefully chosen Christmas gifts which are truly appreciated. What would Good King Wenceslas make of this arrogance?

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The Radio 4 Appeal (Radio 4) is once again asking us to support the work for homeless people run from St Martin-in-the Fields Church in London’s Trafalgar Square. The Reverend Sam Wells, the vicar at St Martin’s explained that the fund they create is used both for homeless people in London and much further afield. His message is that the very first step is to ensure that those seeking to escape from homelessness is a path best not trod alone. That first step is one we take with our donations. Radio 4 Christmas Appeal: Making a Difference (Radio 4), introduced by actor Hugh Dennis, tells some of the stories of those helped by St Martin’s.? We meet Donna who had to flee her Essex home for Preston to avoid domestic violence, found herself in prison and nowhere to go on release. The Vicar’s fund helped find a flat and a job which enabled her to rebuild her life. Lorraine ran away from a children’s home and ended up addicted to heroin and crack cocaine as an escape from life on the streets. Once again outreach workers from St Martin’s, together with the cash donated by Radio 4 listeners, found her a studio flat and the prospect of a place at university. Sadly, Sam Wells tells us that this last year has been the busiest he can recall.

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The private owners of stately homes set in thousands of acres see Christmas as an opportunity to make another pile of money. Christmas at Longleat (Channel 5) tells us how Lord and Lady Bath turn part of their 9,000-acre estate into a Christmas visitor attraction, using a work-force and materials imported from China. Called ‘The Festival of Light’ it features illuminated tableau of children’s stories such as ‘Narnia’ and ‘The Wind in the Willows’. The only interesting thread features the struggle of a very knowledgeable forester tasked with finding the ideal 24-foot tree. Ticket prices which will set a family back at ‘peak times’ ￡49.95 per adult and ￡37.45 per child!

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Christmas at Blenheim (Channel 4) also has displays of lights and a ‘Snow Queen’ theme at the stately home in Oxfordshire. ?And, of course, it is ‘magical’. The Duke of Marlborough hopes to attract over a quarter of a million visitors this year, again at truly horrendous prices for those managing their Christmas spend. At neither venue, at least on camera, is there any mention of the nativity story.

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Selfridges at Christmas (Channel 5) brought a refreshing story of a self-made man, Henry Selfridge, who transformed the British high street. Rising from a one-parent family and working his way to the top, Henry had the foresight to open a department store in Oxford Street, London. Brilliant publicity and creative merchandising enabled him to build a culture that still survives in the company today. The 1909 store features 24 lavishly dressed windows, 600,000 square foot of floor space and a leadership keen to try new ideas. It was Henry who coined the idea of counting down the shopping days to Christmas: we only have ten days left!

Methodist Recorder 15 December 2023