We’re past the midpoint of November now. The month is hurtling to a close. I’m half-heartedly thinking of Christmas presents. I’ve been into the centre of Oldham this morning on various errands and picked up perfume for my daughter’s present. It’s one thing I know will be appreciated. Oldham centre is not the best place to go present-hunting though. I am going to have to go to Manchester before it gets too close to Christmas. I am working on a list of possible purchases.
One of my errands this morning was to take three pairs of boots (two of Phil’s and one of mine) to the cobblers (I do like the old-fashioned word, so much nicer than shoe repairman!) to be soled and heeled. They’ll be ready next Monday and will cost between £12 and £18 a pair. Just out of interest, for comparison purposes, I popped into the Clark’s shoe shop to see if they had a similar pair to mine, which came from there more years ago than I care to remember. They’re not quite “fashion boots” but sturdy, dark brown leather, lacing up just past the ankle. They’re also fleecy lined, which is another big advantage. A similar pair of boots, but veering more towards the “fashion boot” category would cost between £120 and £150 this year. For about a quarter of that I am getting three pairs of boots repaired so that they have a new lease of life.
I am reminded of Sam Vimes in Terry Pratchett’s book “Men at Arms”:
“The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.
Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.
But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.
This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness.”
Quite so, Sam Vimes!
And as the party season approaches, I read this in The London Exonomic:
“MPs will be allowed to claim back for food and drink at their staff Christmas parties for the first time, it has been revealed.
Advice from the expenses watchdog suggests MPs can “claim the costs of food and refreshments for an office festive” in their parliamentary or constituency offices.
Lights, tinsel, and a tree can also be expensed because “festive decorations” are covered by the guidance.
However, MPs have been told to be mindful of the cost of living crisis and any claims “should represent value for money, especially in the current economic climate”, and alcohol can not be included in the “hospitality” claim.”
I wonder what would be the reaction if every company, every establishment in the land put in a claim for tax relief for their office Christmas parties. I look back differently now at the boxes of chocolates that used to appear in our college staffroom, regularly renewed in the last few weeks of term. Perhaps this was not a generous gesture of thanks from the senior staff, in recognition of all the hard work over the longest term of the year. Perhaps the college principal was claiming it back as tax relief!
Mind you, crisis or no crisis town councils have spent tens of thousands of pounds on firework displays for Guy Fawkes Night and on Christmas lights. I’ll have to stop being an old curmudgeon and accept that it brings joy to a whole lot of people. And heaven know, we need some joy! So I’ll go out in the next week or so and buy a small Christmas tree for the smallest grandchildren to decorate for me. A small contribution to joy.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone.
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