My Christmas Carol Experience

As a kid I used to ponder the logistics of Santa's task. One man and over 6 billion people to deliver to all over the planet. How did he manage to get all around the world in one night? During my following years as a nurse I also used to listen to many people review their lives. Watching "A Christmas Carol" brought on a particularly contemplative mood for me this year and I decided to review my past, present and future around London on my own Christmas Carol.

I was always told that Santa was magic and that anything was possible for him. With so many chimneys, mince pies and various drinks to consume it is no wonder that his Body Mass Index is on the high side. He consumes more calories in one night than most people do in a lifetime.

On Christmas Eve I decided to dress up as Santa again and make a few people smile around London. So, I called a couple of like-minded friends, Nicholas and Hitesh, and off we went with a free hugs sign and a few smiles.

Eighteen years ago I left my job in the city – an experience that saw fun and happiness drain from my life. I worked in a monotonous job in the documentary credits department of a Japanese Merchant bank. We decided to walk through the city at the beginning of our walk. This would be our walk into Christmas past. Our Christmas Carol had begun.

As we handed out our first hugs of the day in the city we were approached by a very stern security guard. He informed us that we had no permission to dress up and would have to leave the premises. We did almost manage to make him smile as we offered him a hug, though he did warn us that he may not respond too nicely if we did.

We smiled and walked on through the streets of the city, with most people ignoring us. However, there were several who managed a smile and a group of tourists who did call us across the road to claim some free hugs. For me it was a reminder of how soul-less I felt in my city-job years.

We then ventured towards Bond Street and a livelier atmosphere. Here we were stopped more frequently as people queued for hugs and photos. This represented our walk of Christmas present. It felt good and we had a lot of fun in the process.

During just a few hours we were stopped and hugged by people from all over the world. People from Scotland, Ireland and Wales stopped, as did those from France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Russia, Lithuania, Poland and Germany. Others stopped from China, Taiwan, Thailand, Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, Israel Japan, Malaysia, Singapore India and Pakistan. Representatives hugged us from Mexico, USA, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, The Soloman Islands, Tonga, Australia, New Zealand, Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria and Mauritius.

So, I truly experienced the magic of connecting with people all over the world in one night. As we walked through the streets of London we sang songs, hugged people, witnessed more magic as children hugged us and spread the magic of Christmas to us. We were given free chocolate by a homeless guy, free mince pies from a lady in a restaurant, offered a free ride by a chap on a bike-taxi and given a free gift by one lady.

The feeling of connecting with people from all over the world is my walk of Christmas future. Nothing beats the feeling of smiling, feeling good, singing and making people laugh.

I managed to miss the last train home to St Albans. Normally, this would be a semi-traumatic experience, but not as Santa. Tubes were still running on the Northern line, so I went to High Barnet instead.

On the way I was stopped and asked for more photos and I had a sing-a-long with a group of high-spirited friends returning home. As it turned midnight I found a social gathering of friends in Barnet, who I hadn't seen for a while. I spent the next few hours with good friends, feeling great and was given a place to stay for the night.

On Christmas morning I was picked up by my sister and taken off for a great day with my family. I am feeling very grateful for being alive today.

Carlsberg don't do Christmas, but if they did…..!

First Class - And Hold The Train!!

  Did you ever have an experience where you knew that everything appeared to be going right?

  I have noticed lately that since I gained more insight into my life and what had been setting me back that a series of things have happened that appear to indicate that I am on the right track. Over the past week it appears that all of my train connections are working out perfectly.

  I arrived at the station last week and the train pulled up. There was no way that I would be able to buy a ticket in time and get on it so I relaxed. I even had a chat for a few minutes with the ticket officer about my best route options. A few minutes later I walked onto the platform to find people standing at the doors, anxiously looking to see what the hold-up was. I have no idea what held that train up but what I do know is that seconds after me boarding it the doors closed and off we went. I hadn't even registered that the train had been waiting at the platform all this time.

  This could be seen as just plain luck (I tend to be lucky a lot of the time). A few days later I saw a train pull up and I had been playing football. I wanted to get home and it looked unlikely that I would catch the train. I ran but just as I made my way down the steps to the platform the doors closed and it looked like I'd missed my chance. As I stood on the platform contemplating a half hour wait in my football kit, I was informed that one of the doors had inexplicably stuck. A member of staff had to walk up the platform and shut in manually, mentioning to me that I would be able to board the train.

  The last train I caught was delayed by over 40 minutes. However, I arrived 39 minutes after it was supposed to arrive and watched it pull up as I walked down to the platform. This was the third incident in under a week of delays working to my advantage - so I now feel compelled to write about it!

  Another phenomenon that I have noticed on my local train service (First Capital Connect) is that there is a First Class Section on the trains that is strangely abandoned most of the time. I usually head straight for the first class cabin and find that I am frequently the only passenger on it, even when the train is busy. 

  I find it quite incredible how most people look at the carriage and turn away. I have never paid any extra for my ticket and never been questioned about sitting in first class. Furthermore, I'm not even sure if I should be paying any extra. It just so happens that I am paying significantly less!

  I had a friend come to stay with me a couple of weeks ago and she was upset that she'd lost her Network Rail Card. I didn't even know what it was. She explained that it gave her a third off all fares as long as they were over £10. I'd never even heard of such a card. Since I had been paying almost £15 for an off-peak travelcard into London and over £20 for a peak travelcard, I now pay only £10, or £14, instead of £15 or £21. 

  If she had not lost her card, I would still not know about the benefits of a network railcard. It only cost me £20 and I have already saved almost double that in the first 2 weeks - and it's valid for a year.

  My connections have all been smooth, my timings have been great, even delays are working perfectly to my advantage and the people that I have been meeting lately have been sending positive energy my way in abundance. 

  What has happened to me this week Luck? Positive state of mind? Divine intervention? All of the above? I don't know - but I like it!