Great Grandma's Hotchpotch

I was wondering what to post for Christmas and looked through the book of Christmas poems I had when I was teaching - nothing there. I turned to 'The Christmas Reader' compiled by Godfrey Smith and would have liked to use the poem that's been used as a basis for alternative versions, 'Christmas Day in the Workhouse', by George R. Sims. However, it has 21 verses and each has 8 lines so it didn't seem a good idea! The alternative version of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' by John Julius Norwich, which I can 'hear' in Penelope Keith's voice as she once broadcast it was also a contender but the same problem as above - rather long!- Her lover sends her all the items from the verses until in the end she reverts to a solicitor's letter to make him stop.
Then I thought there might be something in my collection of extracts from Victorian newspapers, or rather, from The Bucks Advertiser of 1854. These are extracts from January of that year telling of the charity of various do-gooders in the villages. Mr Cox in Haddenham sent his groom and footman round with a load of faggotts for distribution amongst the poor and the Rector of Quainton gave 8 tons of coal to the poorer inhabitants of Quainton and Shipton Lee. The Countess of Jersey distributed a large quantity of blankets, sheets, flannels etc. to the poor of Middleton, Somerton and Chesterton. I hadn't noted any more acts of charity from the great and the good.
So I settled for the cutting above, which is from the Bucks Herald in December either 2002 or 2003. I thought it was comical when it first appeared and I like the times of Midnight Mass - just one of those linguistic giggles I find from time to time.
Now, I have had to change to Mozilla Firefox to be able to post at all as plain old Google, which I've used since I began blogging, refuses to let me post a blog without using Google Chrome, which I don't understand and don't like - that's how there's a piece which needs deleting appearing underneath this post - assuming I don't 'disappear' it somehow. So, having apologised in advance - Have a good Christmas, hope to 'see' you next year.