Good snowman, bad snowman

Here we are on Boxing Day - have to say Christmas has been a great success this year.

I go all old-fashioned at Christmas and switch off the computer, switch off the mobile phone and all social media and for about 48 hours just concentrate 100% on home, wife and kids.

Because as you can see all around, with everyone permanently welded to their phones these days, simple pleasures are often forgotten. So from 6am yesterday morning when we got up to going to bed 19 hours later, it was full on Dad - from present opening and assembly to cooking dinner. Claire worked from 7:30 to 3pm.

I did eventually end up getting the Turkey Crown from M&S and it was pretty decent to be honest, much better than last years. And I cooked it according to how I thought it would be good. I have decided that all this putting bacon on the top and all the other stuff Ramsey and the others pipe out is a lot of rubbish designed to prey on your insecurities and make you feel inferior.

Burnt bacon on top of the turkey - pointless.

I just cooked it like I would a chicken and basted it frequently with butter. Result - perfectly cooked, tender, bird. Believe you me, had there been the slightest thing wrong with it Ollie would have refused to eat it, and he wolfed it down. Along with my home made pigs in blankets and the rest - much nicer and bigger than buying them ready made.

Christmas TV - only 3 programs caught my eye in the guide and none disappointed. Absolutely loved the new Snowman & Snowdog - in fact we watched it 3 times. Yes, it's easy to pick fault and call it sentimental and predicatable, but I think it's magical - and as a parent of a 5 year old who is becoming aware of the concept of death, a sensitive way to introduce the topic and encourage discussion - because five year olds  ask questions and they do have fear - as a supportive parent I don't shirk these issues, but handle them in a practical but supportive way.

Fancy your mother letting you go out like that without a coat.
Parents these days...

Later on we had more snowmen, but not nice smiley cartoon ones, evil ones in another triumphant Doctor Who Christmas Special.

Now the thing I love about the new Doctor Who is that it has re-invented itself for the new generation, and your average 12 year old (who would have been 5 when Eccleston started) can enjoy the show without needing to be aware of its history - as can any casual viewer. Now these 12 year olds probably lap up every detail they can about the show and can tell you instantly any fact about any monster, episode, etc since it came back in 2005.

However, there are also rewards for the older fan such as myself who is familiar with the whole history of the show and I loved the way last night's episode tied in with the past, revealing itself to be what I believe is called a prequel.

Say cheese!!!!

At the end of the episode (set in 1892) the snowmen were revealed to be part of a "Great Intelligence", trying to take over the world using snowmen. It was also written into the plot that the London Underground was a network that could be used as a possible future attack.

Tying in beautifully then to two classic Doctor Who tales, "The Abominable Snowmen" from 1967, when in snowy Tibet, what was revealed to be the very same Great Intelligence attempted to take over the world using robot Yeti, and then in 1968 using the very same Yeti again to attack via the London Underground.

The Yeti attack in a sequel to last night's tale.
Broadcast in 1968.

I'm pretty certain this will have gone right over the heads of the casual viewer last night and your 11 and 12 year olds. So mums and dads this is a great chance to impress your little Who fans with your knowledge of the past (you don't have to let on I told you). Cameron and Rhys will be impressed!

And so on to the Royle Family which never disappoints. Poor old Dave and his pecker. Jim absolutely milked that for all it was worth. Ricky Tomlinson/ Sue Johnston, surely one of the best double acts on telly, stretching right back to 1982 when they were Bobby and Sheila Grant in Brookie. The whole show last night had me laughing out loud (yes the much overused LOL'ing). Long may it continue.

After that we caught some of the 1977 festive edition of TOTP - and marvelled at how the world has changed. It was presented by Kid Jensen and Noel Edmonds. Presumably there are some editions of the show that we'll never see again. I would imagine that a lasting legacy of the Savile revelations will be that any editions of TOTP featuring him will be airbrushed from history, never to be shown again. Just like you never hear that Gary Glitter Christmas song any more.

The Christmas Number 1 story on BBC2 at 11pm was good, but annoying that they conveniently skipped by some years as it they didn't exist. For example, Queen topped the festive chart with Bohemian Rhapsody in both 1975 and 1991 - yet the Beeb in its infinite wisdom in an hour long show didn't deem this even worthy of a mention. Obviously the producer was not a Queen fan then.

I'm just a poor boy, nobody at the BBC loves me.

Though I will never get tired of any reminder of that glorious day 3 years ago when my faith that not the entire population of this country had been reduced to mindless sheep was restored. I am referring of course to one of the greatest days in pop history when Rage Against The Machine gave the X Factor a right royal kicking up the arse.

As for the rest of the festive tripe you can keep it, I'm also disgruntled that my favourite kids Christmas movie "The Polar Express" was not even on this year (except on SKY). Oh well.

And now all roads lead to Kempton Park, let battle commence!

If you have enjoyed reading this blog, please take a look at my books on Amazon (Paperback & Kindle), where you can read lots more of the same! Click here.

Jason xx