Season`s greetings

WELL are you all set for Christmas? Hvae you been out taking advantage of the sudden rash of sales on the High Street? Or are you so gripped with fear over the state of the economy, the credit crunch and the state of the stock markets you`re not venturing over the threshhold? Is Christmas cancelled this year?

I can`t help but wonder how much of the panic has been created by the media. We`ve had recessions before and survived them without being panicked into thinking the world as we know it is about to end.

I blame it on the 24-hour media; the non-stop demand for news and the way the commentators actually seem to enjoy telling us of the latest banking crisis. There are regular reports of how the stockmarkets round the world are doing. Do you understand a word of it? I don`t and suspect I am not alone

True this one is different - ie the parlous state of the banks and their mismanagement of our affairs - personal and council.

I was at an international dinner a couple of weeks ago in Edinburgh when Cosla (Confederation of Scottish Local Authorities) were entertaining fellow councillors from all over Europe.(And once again I sat mortified as all spoke fluent English. But I digress). At the table was a councillor from Iceland and I was so tempted to say to him that I would be happy to take a cheque on behalf of the council, it didn`t need to £5m in cash. But then I reckoned the poor sod had probably heard that joke too many times during the day and I decided not to spoil his dinner.

But the government I see is going to borrow zillions to buy our way out of the crisis. What I keep asking myself is - where is all that cash coming from?

However back to Christmas. There has been a bit of a rammy this week at council hq over the festive greetings cards chosen for councillors to send out. Someone who shall remain nameless (to spare his blushes) decided as 2009 was the year of the Homecoming and the 250th anniversary of Burns` birth, it would be a good idea to use the council`s famous Goudie paintings as illustrations. Now the Goudie paintings show in graphic detail Tam`s ride to Alloway`s auld haunted kirk, his confrontation with the witches and the de`il and his flight to the bridge. Fine so far. But the paintings are also a tad bawdy - naked figures, admittedly small, boozing, carousing, add a bit of debauchery - and many shocked councillors have decided these don`t exactly illustrate the spirit of Christmas. Ideal to celebrate Burns Night - but not the birth of Christ, or for the secular, the arrival of Santa.

At the time of writing it is my understanding that an alternative card is going to be made available.

However Saturday, December 22 was one of the highlights of my council year - the occasion was the switch-on of the superb Maybole Christmas lights and along with my fellow councillors I rode up High Street with Santa in his sledge. Magic.

And seeing the joy in the kids` faces it was a reminder of what the season is all about - and despite the crisis will go ahead as normal. Enjoy.