This week, two wonderful things happened.
Firstly, I got tickets to see my favourite comedian, Kevin Bridges, and secondly I received a hand-written letter.
In a world increasingly dehumanised by technology, how wonderful to receive two ‘antidotes’ that celebrate the spirit of being human.
To me, one of the greatest gifts is shared laughter – it’s super-food for the soul, an infectious explosion of positive energy, the emotive glue that brings us together.
People like Big Kev, are doing God’s work, and the prospect of being in a room with thousands of people, crying for dear joy is honestly the best Christmas present I could have hoped for.
The festive season is a natural time for us to feel more human as we actively make time to physically be with each other.
Away from the noise and distractions of the daily digital grind, our overloaded brains can pause for thought, and that decompression can be a very powerful and often healing thing.
Time for ourselves is just as important as time spent with family, friends and work colleagues, and once those boxes have been ticked, we might then consider others further outside our radar.
A ninety year old friend of my grandparents, Janet, did just that when she put pen to paper to send me a Christmas message of good cheer.
A hand-written letter is a thing of rare beauty – thoughtful, highly personal – and those spidery, touching words, from that kind, frail hand, were utterly uplifting and rather moving.
Expressing our feelings through words is at the very heart of our humanity and is something to be cherished, not outsourced to ChatGPT and a Microsoft Azure data centre in San Antonio.
And now it’s my turn to pen some words to you, my customers and friends, and thank you for your business this year and the laughter we’ve shared over the ‘Michelsberg Dancefloor.’
Many of you have been kind enough to say what a wonderful experience you’ve enjoyed at my hands, but remember, it takes two to tango.
A showman needs his audience and to quote Bruce Forsythe, it’s been “Nice to see you, to see you nice!”
To see you in person, not through a screen, to shake your hand, find shared interests and even celebrate the delivery of your finery with a scotch and a man-hug.
To connect with someone emotionally is a very precious thing, indeed it’s the starting point of that most valuable thing we have on this planet, friendship.
So, here’s to friends, old and new, and a most wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Cheers!
James
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