Advent stories
Christmas lights.
The National grid knew when to expect a surge in electricity demand. An event like the football world cup or The Morecombe and Wise Christmas show and the expectation was an increase in electricity usage. Eighteen million kettles all being switched on at half time during the England game would do it. It was rare but manageable.
Is the same calculation now made in the weeks leading up to Christmas Day? Do the National Grid have a multitude of boffins in white coats playing with statistical analysis data trying to formulate an algorithm to cope with our desire for exterior Christmas lighting!
First it was just the house and every surface thereof, teeming with coloured and white lights. When switched on it could deviate an airliner and be seen from space. Now we have become obsessed with inflatable snowmen and a thirty-foot-high Santa that makes you forget it is dark.
Every centimetre of our land must be lit and flood the surrounding county with a festive glow. There are now whole streets where every house has a yuletide cascade of lights. These avenues of sparkle have become a seasonal tourist attraction.
