26th November 2025

Do you ever shout at the television? Of course you don’t! However, I’m afraid I do. I know there’s no point, but it relieves my feelings. What provokes this futile reaction is usually when I turn on the television to watch a particular programme only to be told to watch something else on iPlayer NOW. Not when I’ve finished watching what I intended to watch, but NOW. Of course I don’t – I just shout at the television.

Sometimes on the news we see people demonstrating, on a picket line, or parading through the streets. They shout their demand and ‘When do we want it?’ ‘NOW!’ Not when the trades union has negotiated with the management, not when Parliament has debated the issue but NOW.

Soon it will be Christmas – when do we want it? – NOW. Sorry, you are going to have to wait. Before Christmas comes the season of Advent and that is a time of waiting. I wonder if that was what led the Wise Men to stop at Jerusalem to look for the baby Jesus – they were so anxious to present their gifts that they just couldn’t wait to see if the star was going to lead them any further. Of course, they might have given up at that point and gone home without ever seeing the baby. But fortunately they soon realised their mistake and followed the star to the ultimate destination in Bethlehem.

So be patient – Christmas will come – after the waiting time.

David T Roberts