Janey Godley - Spending much less seems like a good idea all round this year

Published on Sunday 16 November 2008 18:31

'THE CREDIT crunch will affect Christmas sales' is the latest prediction from the pundits who seem to know lots of stuff in advance. I, for one, am happy about that. I despise the gross overspending in the run up to the 'holiday season' here in the UK.

We always see photos of parents queuing up like lemmings in the freezing cold to get their precious child the latest expensive toy, for fear of letting down their wee spoilt brat on the 'Big Day'.

Husband and I long ago gave up buying each other gifts: we ended up spending good, hard-earned cash on total tat that we didn't need. Our daughter Ashley gets one big gift, which is usually cash. The only other gifts we buy are for my mum and dad and, to be honest, that is pretty much it. Cheap and cheerful and very cost-effective all round is how I like to spend Christmas.

My niece Ann has three children – her eldest is Shawn, who is 11, the effervescent Abi is five and wee baby Julia is now two – and Ann is bargain-hunting for stocking fillers on the web to accommodate her burgeoning family and her ever-decreasing budget.

This year, they won't be getting big, expensive presents; they will get lots of small things that can pad out the boxes and make them feel they are getting more, yet not spoiling them too much. Ann is very much the kind of mum who makes her kids socially aware of what's happening in the world around them, explaining poverty, war and greed to her children in a responsible and acceptable manner.

I suggested she was just scaring them into having a deep social conscience so she could get away with having a cheaper Christmas. She laughed and agreed it was a bit of both.

"The kids get too much all year round and a wee dose of reality won't hurt them," she explained. "In the long run they will understand that they can't get everything they want. Some children will spend Christmas this year with nothing and that's here in Scotland, not just some war-torn country abroad – and they should know that."

That is a great idea and this year I will join forces with her and help out.

I have decided that I am going to get on to some charity websites to fund various projects as gifts for the kids; they can track the progress online and learn about the people they are helping. It may not be something Santa can bring down the chimney, but it may ignite their interest in helping people and show them how other children live.

The drawbacks of my new do

Getting a radical haircut at my age is a bit risky. Women use their hair as a comfort blanket to cover up insecurities or, as I like to call my face, 'the multitude of genetic mutations'.

I would look better if I could just wrap the whole bushy mess around my face and tie it in a knot under my chin to disguise the wobbly bits.

Changes were needed. Twice I almost got knocked down on a busy road as tangled hair suffocated and blinded me in a strong wind.

Big Katie at Calico is my hairdresser and I finally relented and let her go crazy and do her thing. My hair is the shortest it's ever been since Donny Osmond, left, was No 1 in the charts.

The downside is wee Abi, my great niece, told me I now look like her Lollipop Lady – who, by the way, is a man.

Well-bred beggars need to learn how to plead properly

I WAS sitting outside a bar in London last week. A man approached and stood silently with his hand outstretched towards me. He looked very well dressed. I peered about for cameras. Was this performance art? A TV reality show?

"Give me your money." he said.

"Is this a robbery?"

"No, I am poor, so give me money."

He had a clipped Home Counties accent.

I went back to reading my newspaper. He walked off shouting. A wee woman nearby leaned over: "It might be a sacked bank manager who can't understand why people just don't give them money for nothing."

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