James Roast joined me to talk about identifying the pressures we feel this Christmas and to look for strategies to deal with them. He emphasised the need for “healthy selfishness”. We needed to consider our needs and not try to please everyone. He also commented that in work situations if people were smokers they used to have a few minutes out of the office regularly for a break. He was not suggesting people took up smoking ! However, he was making the point that we need regular breaks during each day, whatever context we are in, for breaks that will mentally sustain us. This could be prayer, meditation, mindfulness. As we move into 2021 there will be a mix of emotions around the pandemic. Positivity due to the vaccines. Knowledge that things may well get worse before they get better. The important point was that we need personal times to help us re-balance ourselves.
Tonight’s playlist
Friends of Cedar Church – Love is at the heart of Christmas
Andy Williams – The most wonderful time of the year – the first ever request from regular listener Phyl in north London for a track from this week’s chart !
Liam Gallagher – All your dreams of – chosen by James. Take a moment to yourself and listen to the words of this song
Lilli Allen – Somewhere only we know – chosen by James
Elton John – Step into Christmas – chosen by James for his son Milo as it is his favourite Christmas track.
Birthdays during the week.
Little Richard RIP died in May. During this week he would have been 88 years old. We heard Long tall Sally and Lucille.
Les Nemes from the band Haircut 100 celebrated being 60 years old this week in his home in Spain. We heard Fantastic day a UK no 9 from 1982.
Nicole Appleton from the band Al Saints celebrated her 46th birth day this week. We listened to the UK million seller from 1997, Never Ever.
Regular listeners Chris in Harlow, Patrick in Ingatestone and Bob in Harlow were all winners this we with a three-way tie.
Coldplay – Christmas lights – requested by Bob.
Enya – And Winter comes, O come O come Emmanuel – Patrick requested a track from Enya 2008 album A winter comes, and we played two tracks.
Chart this week in
No 1. Beatles double A side – Day tripper; We can work it out. In the USA these two tracks were released separately as 45rpm singles and were both hits.
No 8 PJ Proby – Maria
No 9 Toys – Lover’s concerto
Ian Perryman – Heavenly Peace – a song by Essex-based folk musician Ian, on the Christmas truce in the trenches in WW1. Check out his websites Ianperryman music.
Ry Cooder – Straight Street
Roleplay – Jinglebells
Paul Simon – Think too much
Ella Fitzgerald – The Christmas song.
Next week we will have Tom Page singing carols and Christmas songs live in the studio.
Also make a date to join me for a live show on Boxing Day morning 10-1pm.