Opinion
Christmas is not for everyone
BY CLAIR WHITTY Christmas is not for everyone, I say this every year. But it isn’t for everyone and there are many reasons for this. It might be that your family have grown up and left home and there are no children in the house anymore. It isn’t the same without the young ones, the …
Dolly, Molly, Betty and my Christmas rounds
FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran I am a last minute shopper. I have never been one of those organised people who have everything done and dusted a week before the Big Day. Folks who have presents wrapped, firewood stacked, fairy lights checked, turkey prepped and drinks in (that’s if they drink) and are cool, calm and …
Christmas: The best gift is to be present
CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE By Judith Ashton This year, forget the wrapping paper, the ribbons and the bows. We all have so much stuff… do we really need more? We can all get in a panic about buying presents which increasingly end up being recycled the following year! The best present in my opinion is …
Reading around the Christmas time
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR As the rush intensifies and shelves groan under Christmas tat, think about a gift that endures – books. One year on from last year’s roundup, economic turbulence persists, inflation is still here, crypto continues to surge and fall, and demands for climate action persist. Greed-driven bestsellers continue to exploit our …
Home is where the heart is at Christmas
AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON The Italians have a good saying: “Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi.” Christmas with family, Easter with whomever you want! That sums up the festive spirit nicely for me. It’s a time for tucking up at home with dear ones around us, for drinking, feasting and …
God only knows what Mary would say
THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS The Catholic Church, of all Christian denominations, holds Mary the Mother of God in the highest esteem. The virgin who brought forth into the world the Baby Jesus, Son of God. She is there in the manger, with Joseph by her side, because there was no room …
Twenty-Fives for Turkeys, a memory to forget
FURTHERMORE By Gerry Moran I love a game of cards. Twenty-Fives to be precise. I can’t, however, remember the last time I played nor do I know where you’d find a game going on these days. Time was when card-playing was quite popular – in pubs, note. Not in fancy lounges with exotic drinks and piped …
Pensions: why no one size fits all
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR In years past retirement meant one thing – handing over your pension pot to an insurance company in exchange for an annuity which is a guaranteed income for the rest of your life. That changed in the 1990s with the arrival of Approved Retirement Funds (ARFs), and today retirees face …
How the BBC betrayed Princess Diana
AS I SEE IT BY MARIANNE HERON Ingrid Bergman once said: “Getting old is like climbing a mountain; you get a little out of breath, but the view is much better.” The star of Casablanca died in 1982 at the age of 67, relatively young by today’s standards. Today we – the fortunate ones, that …
Let’s Celebrate Natural Beauty Not Cosmetics for Kids!
CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE By Judith Ashton Great… just in time for Christmas! Make up for kids as young are 4. Another gullible market to exploit!! Do kids need make up? Definitely not. Why are companies creating it? Profits of course. This is such an uncomfortable issue with many ramifications for mind, body and spirit. …
