Teen beauty spot drinkers are ramblers, not rebels
- Dave Burrows
Letter: What happened to Christmas in Shrewsbury?
Monday 19th December 2011, 7:41AM GMT.
Shoppers in Pride Hill, Shrewsbury.
Whatever happened to Christmas in Shrewsbury town centre?
Gone are the Christmas trees from Pride Hill and the Market Square, along with the Nativity scene and any kind of variation with the lights and decorations.
Apart from the efforts made by individual shops, there isn’t much to suggest Shrewsbury is celebrating Christmas at all.
Maybe this is all down to the council’s cost-cutting measures, or maybe it’s an attempt to downgrade Christmas in favour of a more politically correct multi-faith affair.
Whatever the reason, it all looks so bland and joyless compared with previous times.
N Pritchard
Shrewsbury
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Absolutely, quelle horreur!! {they’re French – on cost cutting grounds you see} and the barely luminous net over a small patch of the Square is especially pathetic, but sensibly just out of the reach of the post-pub intellectual light feature critics.
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I’ll just read the official position on this;
“In these ‘Big Society’ times, it is up to the people of Shrewsbury to take up the slack that the council can’t afford and cheer each other up by dressing up as Christmas Trees, Reindeer etc etc when they go out shopping.
Stop being part of the problem, be part of the solution.
And get to Church whilst you’re at it.”
Hope this helps.
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Blimey why is this as a born and bred shrewsbury girl I am very disappointed as Pride Hill and the Square hold fond memories for me, in Crete where I live now we have decorations everywhere a nativity scene in the village and all the streets lit with decorations .Obviously Greece is not that poor or England is.Its very strange as when we first arrived only five years past Christmas was barely celebrated but now the commercialization has caught on even though we are said to be in crisis, I dont think anyone has told the Greeks…..
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Totally agree from lack of trees, to in my opinion a pretty poor display of xmas lights.
Who ordered them did they check what they were getting??
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I believe they hired a private company this year. I saw Councillor Peter Nutting praising the idea in the local media. I agree with others here, they are awful.
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Glad I’m not the only one that thinks this. About 20 years ago when I was knee-high to a grasshopper, I always remember the Christmas lights as being a very colourful affair, with Christmassy reds and greens mixed in among the normal whites and blues etc.
For the last few years, the lights have just been the same colour.
This year is slightly better, there are at least two colours in the decorations, but this time they’ve made all the decorations the same by and large!
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after moving to perth australia five years ago my daughter and i went back to shrewsbury last year,we went to see the lights put on !!so dissapointing,how it has changed,where had the christmas trees gone?? where was the sprit ?? living in oz there is a multi-faith but we still have the trees and the carols in the park etc etc so if you dont wish to join in you dont,come on shrewsbury think about those who do wish to join in its CHRISTMAS :-)
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No, the town doesn’t look very festive. The lights are poor and a few trees wouldn’t come amiss. Apparently, some town even have reindeer petting for children. It’s ironic that ‘A Christmas Carol’ was filmed in Shrewsbury.
I doubt if it’s political correctness. My experience is that most people will celebrate any festival. Certainly, my old Muslim students loved Christmas.
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Three words that sum up this year’s Christmas decorations in Shrewsbury – Boring, boring, boring.
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Perhaps it can now go back to the religious festival that it started out as, instead of the homage to commercial greed, false jollity and human excess that it’s turned into.
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Hang on, Yueltide WAS a festival about human excess, feasting, drinking, and generally have a high old time. Before the Christians hijacked it that is.
Keep religion out of Yuletide, it only spoils it for normal people.
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I think it may have started out as a pagan festival actually – Winter Solstice, and all that. I agree that it now seems to be all about the other factors you mentioned.
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It’s Winterval again and all this is dragged out once more!
‘..Goodnight, thank you, and may your God go with you’ (Courtesy Dave Allen).
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Nooo, it was definitely Winterfest BC before Christmas Ramadan and Hanukkah (apologies for any mistakes there) came along.
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Oh dear.
Once again we see the suggestion that somehow Christmas decorations have been downgraded as a result of ‘political correctness’.
This is an urban myth that has been trotted out year after year. Does anyone have even a scrap of corroborative evidence that Christmas was ever ‘banned’ in such a way?
It’s far more likely that the reason for somewhat lacklustre decorations is simply down to the fact that there’s little money about.
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I Agree with you Peter, I put up Christmas lights all around my house on the lawn and the drive, I fly the English flags,on St Georges day,any competition that our football or rugby teams play, they will be up for the jubilee and the olympic games, I have not much interest in any sport, I only fly the flags, hoping that somebody will ask me to take them down, but over the years nobody has asked me to. Over the back fence where I live we have the Mormons church, and they don’t believe in Christmas but always come around and put money in the collecting tins and knock at the door to say how they enjoy them. And a happy Christmas to all the people who write in here, remember be happy in your work if your not then you will be a miserable person for half your life. Merry Christmas.
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Thanks for having common sense. Only time Christmas didn’t happen was when Cromwell was in charge. Unless you include the grinch. And I don’t think either of them were Muslim Hindu Jew or Jedi.
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What ever happened to the late night market in the square that used to take place just before Christmas? There was a great atmosphere and it used to go on until 9 pm; ideal for those of us who work full-time!
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It was on last wednesady wasn’t it?
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#9
Perhaps it can now go back to the religious festival that it started out as, instead of the homage to commercial greed, false jollity and human excess that it’s turned into.
Turned into?
If you mean that the Victorian quasi American quasi German influence of crackers, trees etc should revert back to the celebrations of the wealthy, buy a place in heaven, bourgeousie, then revert back to the wealthy churches and monastries meagre charitable offerings to the poor and probably undeserving, then revert back to the Catholic dominence and take over of what was really originally a Pagan celebration of ordinary folk surviving at the most challenging season of the year, then yes John.
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Somebody wrote a letter about this?
Evidence that Shrewsbury has very few real problems.
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I thought the same until the Carols in the Square which was wonderful as per,it even hung on in there with Christian Carols thankfully!…lefty pc thugs will no doubt be whining about that one. But yes the lights are terrible, Frankwell Quay has a Tree but the Square doesn’t?! Sort it out Shropshire CC.
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The carols in the Square were lovely as always – I only hope the pc brigade never have the chance to get their claws into it.
Like the writer asks, I wonder where the Nativity scene has gone.
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Why all this paranoid nonsense about the ‘pc’ brigade’ or ‘lefty pc thugs’ somehow attacking Christmas? Where has there been a single case of Christmas being banned or restricted in any way in the UK?
Could it be that some of you have an interest in trying to whip up non-existent religious division in pursuit of your own individual prejudices?
There are certainly some right-wing Christian groups who would have us believe that Birmingham attempted to ban Christmas some years ago – it never happened, but they still like to present it as some sort of ‘attack’ to this day. I think perhaps they get their kicks from feeling persecuted.
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You know what they say about wrestling with a pig; You get dirty and the pig enjoys it.
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Firstly the lack of mini Christmas trees is down to local businesses who have to pay the council to have mini tree’s attached to their properties.
Secondly, I think some issues surrounding how the lights were purchased will eventually come out…we’ve been massively stitched up and someone has made a lot of money.
And lastly I really do get fed up with people moaning about the lack of shops, or how the shops aren’t doing things certain things. If more people actually bothered to shop in town rather than moaning and then visiting the retail parks the town centre would be thriving. We are very lucky to so many independentshops as well as high street names, but we won’t attract larger stores to the town if people don’t go into town and shop. I’m fed up of seeing people preach about shopping local one minute and then boasting they’ve bought all their presents online.
USE THE TOWN OR LOSE THE TOWN!
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I agree entirely with your last point IS. I believe Shrewsbury town centre is a great place yet very under estimated & under used.
However I’m surprised no other Blogger has countered your point with a whinge about the in-town parking fees!
Happy Xmas.
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How saddened I am with the ungrateful negative comments posted by the people of Shrewsbury in response to the Christmas lights this year. My husband and two other men toiled night after night from around 8pm until 4am every night for three weeks in all sorts of extreme weather to erect these lights for the pleasure of the people of Shrewsbury. I would hazard a guess that hardly any one of the people writing these negative comments gave a thought to the hard work required to achieve the so called ‘boring display’. At least in Newport the efforts of the installation team were appreciated with thanks on the front page of the local newspaper!
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Firstly if we had to thank everyone who does a difficult job then we’d be here all day and there would be no news. I’m sure your husband did a great job putting them up, but it doesn’t change the fact they are boring.
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Terribly sorry for any hurt caused MS Blackwell did your husband do it for FREE if so thank him and his team very much for donating their time.
However i hazzard a guess he was paid to do it so payment is thanks enough, unfortunatly far to many people in this country want praise for doing what they have been paid to do .
Unfortunately the lights are a poor second rate display however i assume we got what was paid for .
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Do you never say ‘thank you’ to shop assistants, waiters and waitresses, bus drivers, doctors etc?
I do, as a matter of common courtesty and decency.
Also as a way of showing my appreciation for people who take the trouble to do their jobs to the best of their ability.
Would you thank the fireman that rescued them from a burning building, the surgeon that saved your life, the GP that diagnosed you?
Or would you say ‘pah, they were being paid for it, so why should I say thanks, or show appreciation for their efforts’.
I’d only withold my thanks if someone was plain rude and deliberately unhelpful.
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Yes i do, but Arther they are a poor show , plus i think miss black was implying we should actually be grateful to her husband paid efforts.
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Karen, I don’t think anyone is knocking your husband and the rest of the team who put the lights up. – That side of things is always well done and I for one don’t envy them doing that job.
The moaning is aimed at those who decided what particular decorations were put up in the first place.
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This is daft. NO-ONE is criticising the work!!!! {which I assumed we paid for out of our council tax – perhaps not then, so many thanks chaps for your sterling efforts} but WE ARE criticising the product. Which is a complete bargain bin let-down..sorry..but it is!!
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Its is without a doubt that the Christmas lights that exclude a Merry Christmas banner are possibly the dullest to be seen in the UK, however Mrs Blackwell your husband would have been paid well giving you a hefty puse at Christmas more than a lot of people in Shropshire, and no doubt he has done this job for many years, however it is no critism of his workmanship, its the people who ordered the lights that need to hold their heads down in shame
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Church Stretton have got it right with coloured bulbs zig-zaged across the steets, simple and looks really festive!
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An interesting discussion. Anyone can look at the Town Council minutes online. I’ve had a quick look and the Christmas Lighting budget for the year had a ceiling of £40k. I wonder how much of this has been spent on the dreadful display. I particulary miss the garlands and tree with its presents underneath in the Square which my children loved. Other contributors to this discussion assume this was a cost-cutting exercise but was ratepayers’ money saved?
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i think the christmas lights near the welsh and english bridges are delightful. ever changing-red,red and amber, green, amber and back to red. what more can we want
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Quite right AJ. Not forgetting the mobile sparkling ice blue lights on top of certain cars that help us denote that it’s Christmastime again and the idiot lager holes are open.
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Who wants Christmas lights anyway? Fortunately, this time next week the whole ghastly business will be out the way for another year.
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You miserable old so-and-so.
Xmas is great!
Lights, decorations, feasts, friends and family. BRILLIANT!
To all SS Bloggers I wish a really great Xmas and a truly good new years.
(C’mon TW. Join in the fun)
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Christmas is also a time when the lonely feel lonely and the poor feel poor its not all Lights, decorations, feasts, friends and family. BRILLIANT!!!
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Many of the lonely at xmas choose to be so , as for the poor feeling poor do you not think they should be told the best things in life are free??
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Town Walls, I am another scrooge and agree with you. Christmas nowadays is all about retailers grabbing as much cash as they can from people who feel obliged to buy other people presents. Yes, Christmas is really for children, but once you pass 15/16 years old, why bother?
Times are hard at the moment for most people and Christmas just exacerbates the whole issue. Retailers may bank on Christmas to boost the economy, but if the Government got ot right in the first place, we wouldn’t be in the mess we are now! Humbug!
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Dreadful Christmas lights – boring, not very festive and, no doubt, cost a small fortune.
The old ones were fine – in these times of Council cut-backs, why the dickens are we spending thousands of pounds on french christmas light consultants to revamp something that worked perfectly well as they were?
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Yes!!! I totally agree Christmas lights and decorations in Shrewsbury r not up to scratch they r a total letdown , as for the money side of it perhaps if they did nt build stupid creations of art lol Pmsl then we would hav the money to do as we did , shame on u Shrewsbury , I am to Telford shopping to c Santa and to park cheeper ,o sum worm of a ticket man will issue u me a expensive ticket AgaIN!!!
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God help our society
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NOT A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO BE SEEN IN LIGHTS , IS THIS IN CASE WE UPSET SOME ONE, ??????
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I can’t help but think that there’s a ‘pc’ motive behind the lack of any Christmas theme with these decorations.
I just don’t understand this ‘right on, killjoy midset of these council bods. Afterall, the muslim, sikh and hindu folks that I know have absolutely no problem with Christmas.
It’s as if these ‘pc’ (il)liberal-lefties want to create division.
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Ridiculous. It is comments like yours which create division.
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I don’t think it’s about being PC, I think it’s about dumbing down our town to attract the middle aged, middle class beige brigade – nothing too “wow”, nothing too controversial, just safe mediocrity. I imagine the new shopping centre will be similarly uninspired…..the kind of place that the average Shropshire councillor (middle aged, middle class etc) would like to do their shopping…….
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Did you know that Santa is really an alien….
Maybe the whole idea of christmas is going to get blown out of the window because have you not noticed the inuendos of UFOs and aliens etc in the latest films, adverts and tv shows. Maybe the authorities are trying to tell us something? By drip feeding us slowly the idea of extra-terrestrial life and that in 2012 once and for all we will get visited by extra-terrestrials who will basically say that our religious believes and christmas are a complete waste of time.
Oh and the other thing is Coca Cola… The only reason Santa wears red and white is because years ago they changed the colouring for use in their adverts. He was originally depicted wearing white, green and gold.
Thats good marketing for you as it’s never changed.
In any case, christmas is just a commercial excuse to sell sell sell to gullable people like us public who buy buy buy every year.
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happy christmas everybody, well that is nearly xmas 2011 over. time to think about christmas 2012. how about a floodlight river pageant on boxing day, with hot baked potatoes, hot chestnuts , mince pies etc. nothing too commercial just a good old shrewsbury knees up to bring us all back to the good old days.
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