Breaking With Tradition

It just wouldn't seem seasonal if the run-up to Christmas wasn't dominated by bad weather, now would it?  Obviously, it is always better if the weather in question is snow or the threat of snow, but in lieu of that, gale force winds and torrential rain are always a good substitute.  I mean, just look back to this time last year, when we only had the rain - it was quite boring, wasn't it?  People could make their Christmas journeys with relative ease, but this year, with added gales, it is so much more exciting.  For the news media, that is.  They just love to be able to fill up their pre-Christmas bulletins with reports about massive weather-related travel disruption.  Personally, I'd like to get back to those Christmases of my youth, which were characterised by dry cold weather with a mild overnight frost, which didn't inconvenience anyone's travel plans.  Not that people seemed to travel as much at Christmas back then.  That's another trend we should resurrect - there's nothing worse than being stuck in traffic jams on Christmas Eve as the light begins to fade.  Not that such things will be worrying me, as I'm travelling absolutely nowhere this Christmas.

But if extreme bad weather is a Christmas tradition we can't seem to avoid, I've decided to ditch several of my own seasonal 'traditions' this year.  In part, this is because I felt that I was doing them, not because I enjoyed them, but simply because I'd 'always' done them and consequently felt obligated to do them again.  Which is rather pointless.  In the case of one, relatively recent, 'tradition', I simply couldn't be arsed.  If, for some reason best known to yourselves, you are a regular reader, you'll have noticed the absence of a special Christmas edition of our resident podcast.  Bearing in mind that I haven't managed to produce a regular episode of The Sleazecast in months (season three has stalled after just two episodes), in large part due to the fact that the current format is so time-consuming to produce, I thought a seasonal special would be taking the piss.  Besides, I've produced special editions for the past two years and the fact is that nobody bloody listens to them at Christmas, rendering the concept rather pointless.  Sure, they listen to them during the Summer, but by then it's a bit bloody late, isn't it?  Hopefully, I'll get back to podcasting next year, possibly with a simplified format.  (That said, I haven't stropped recording entirely - I've produced several segments for various Overnightscape Underground shows over the past few months). 

I've already decided that this will probably be the last year I produce one of those 'Christmas Lights' films (see previous post for the latest), so, as of next year, I'll be looking to establish a whole new set of 'traditions' for this blog.  God knows what they'll be but, like they say, a change is as good as a rest.  As for the real world, I've already broken a few personal Christmas 'traditions' this year and aim to drop a few more between now and New Year.  The bottom line is that I'm feeling restless and need a fresh start - beginning a whole new Christmas!