Now that we are past the bogus festival of Halloween, Christmas is, commercially speaking, upon us. In London, it arrived a month ago. I have always thought the Americans were better organised: in the US, Thanksgiving is such a presence in the shops that reindeer, grottos and tinsel can’t make an appearance until it is over at the end of November.
The UK doesn’t have a suitable terminus post quem of this kind. Perhaps we could think of one. Another inspiration from across the Atlantic might be Repeal Day. This marks the day on which Prohibition was abolished in 1933. It falls on December 5. I know this because Miller’s Gin has invited me to witness a cocktail-mixing competition in New York: very kind, but my liver has only just recovered from an undergraduate brandy Alexander party I threw in 1976. Wouldn’t it be nice, however, if we had our own Repeal Day.
There are so many things to repeal: the Hunting Act for a start. Plus, in the interests of liberty, the smoking ban, with particular reference to after-dinner cigars. Then political correctness, trick or treating, the 2012 Olympics, Jonathan Ross what a bonfire of the inanities it would make. Let Christmas begin after that.
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Merlins: Britain's smallest bird of prey is a 'swerving, zigzagging, 240mph weighted missile' that's gutsy enough to chase off a golden eagleSize doesn’t matter when it comes to the fighting spirit of the tiny merlin, a fierce parent and favoured hunting accessory of Mary, Queen of Scots.
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The greatest moment in the life of Jessie Owens: Country Life Quiz of the Day, June 13, 2025Breathtaking athleticism and Shakespeare's birthday are among the questions in the final quiz of the week.
