Radio listener by Jim Gilchrist

Whether you’re prepared for it or not, and Radio 3 reminds us in no uncertain manner tomorrow with its annual Christmas around europe, with Louise Fryer presenting a midday-to-evening sequence of concerts broadcast live from Helsinki, Copenhagen and Nuremberg, as well as specially pre-recorded events from Madrid and Riga, with seasonal repertoire, ancient and modern, ranging from advent carols to Schnittke and Stravinsky.

Radio 3 also stages five stories from the New Testament, dramatised in the manner of a contemporary take on the medieval mystery plays. With each tale introduced by the Rev Giles Fraser, The Essay: a NEW CYCLE OF MYSTERY PLAYs starts on Monday with Dawn King’s dramatisation of the parable of the wise and foolish builder, which updates it to a contemporary building firm which unwisely starts cutting corners – Christmas cowboys, you might say.

Nudging the tone into festive frippery, Radio 4 Extra dons a paper hat for COMPLETELY CRACKERS, which celebrates Thomas Smith, the London confectioner whom we have to thank for inventing the Christmas cracker. Smith, who specialised in wedding cakes, visited Paris during the mid-19th century and was very taken with the beautifully wrapped French confectionary he saw there at a time when wrapping food, or even presents, was uncommon. He came up with the idea of wrapping up a sweet, inserting a mildly explosive strip to make things go with a bang – and, of course, adding a dire joke, though where the paper hat comes from, we’re not sure. The collective groan when yet another, er, turkey is read out is all his fault.

But just in case all this Christmas spirit has you feeling immoderately cheery, Radio 4 reminds us that the world is supposed to have ended by the time this year is out – at least so thought the ancient Mayans, whose calendar predicted it would be over for us in 2012. In 2012 – THE END OF TIMe, Jane Little investigates the grim prediction, which continues to exercise the credulous and inspire conspiracy theories.