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Letter: Yuletide gloom

Derek Welch
Friday 18 December 1998 00:02 GMT
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Sir: It is with a heavy heart that I write to you. I seek guidance about Christmas.

I hear nothing but, "Christmas is for the children." I just happen to be 53 years old; my kids are grown and married. Indeed, they have blessed me with four grandchildren. But everyone still tells me that Christmas is for the children. What about me? I remember the time when Christmas was really a time for "Peace on earth, goodwill to all men", when adults experienced a feeling of great personal satisfaction from the simple act of being seasonally nice to someone.

Christmas, for me, consists of about half an hour watching my grandchildren opening their presents. Has Mammon really replaced God to such an extent that adults are now almost forbidden by law to enjoy the festive season?

DEREK WELCH

St Albans, Hertfordshire

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