My Christmas Carol Experience

As a kid I used to ponder the logistics of Santa's task. One man and over 6 billion people to deliver to all over the planet. How did he manage to get all around the world in one night? During my following years as a nurse I also used to listen to many people review their lives. Watching "A Christmas Carol" brought on a particularly contemplative mood for me this year and I decided to review my past, present and future around London on my own Christmas Carol.

I was always told that Santa was magic and that anything was possible for him. With so many chimneys, mince pies and various drinks to consume it is no wonder that his Body Mass Index is on the high side. He consumes more calories in one night than most people do in a lifetime.

On Christmas Eve I decided to dress up as Santa again and make a few people smile around London. So, I called a couple of like-minded friends, Nicholas and Hitesh, and off we went with a free hugs sign and a few smiles.

Eighteen years ago I left my job in the city – an experience that saw fun and happiness drain from my life. I worked in a monotonous job in the documentary credits department of a Japanese Merchant bank. We decided to walk through the city at the beginning of our walk. This would be our walk into Christmas past. Our Christmas Carol had begun.

As we handed out our first hugs of the day in the city we were approached by a very stern security guard. He informed us that we had no permission to dress up and would have to leave the premises. We did almost manage to make him smile as we offered him a hug, though he did warn us that he may not respond too nicely if we did.

We smiled and walked on through the streets of the city, with most people ignoring us. However, there were several who managed a smile and a group of tourists who did call us across the road to claim some free hugs. For me it was a reminder of how soul-less I felt in my city-job years.

We then ventured towards Bond Street and a livelier atmosphere. Here we were stopped more frequently as people queued for hugs and photos. This represented our walk of Christmas present. It felt good and we had a lot of fun in the process.

During just a few hours we were stopped and hugged by people from all over the world. People from Scotland, Ireland and Wales stopped, as did those from France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Russia, Lithuania, Poland and Germany. Others stopped from China, Taiwan, Thailand, Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, Israel Japan, Malaysia, Singapore India and Pakistan. Representatives hugged us from Mexico, USA, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, The Soloman Islands, Tonga, Australia, New Zealand, Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria and Mauritius.

So, I truly experienced the magic of connecting with people all over the world in one night. As we walked through the streets of London we sang songs, hugged people, witnessed more magic as children hugged us and spread the magic of Christmas to us. We were given free chocolate by a homeless guy, free mince pies from a lady in a restaurant, offered a free ride by a chap on a bike-taxi and given a free gift by one lady.

The feeling of connecting with people from all over the world is my walk of Christmas future. Nothing beats the feeling of smiling, feeling good, singing and making people laugh.

I managed to miss the last train home to St Albans. Normally, this would be a semi-traumatic experience, but not as Santa. Tubes were still running on the Northern line, so I went to High Barnet instead.

On the way I was stopped and asked for more photos and I had a sing-a-long with a group of high-spirited friends returning home. As it turned midnight I found a social gathering of friends in Barnet, who I hadn't seen for a while. I spent the next few hours with good friends, feeling great and was given a place to stay for the night.

On Christmas morning I was picked up by my sister and taken off for a great day with my family. I am feeling very grateful for being alive today.

Carlsberg don't do Christmas, but if they did…..!

I Believe in Santa All Over Again!

Yesterday I dressed up as Santa and joined some friends in London to give out some free hugs. Dressing up as Santa is something that I have done many times and I have had several free-hugging expeditions. However, I could not have prepared myself for the magical experience that I would have.

With no particular plan we drifted around London in 0 degrees. It proved to be a little cold, especially on the finger tips but we broke up our hugs with coffee shop stops and trips on the underground. At one stage we had about 15 friends giving out free hugs.

Throughout the day we gave hundreds of hugs each. This was particularly nice in such cold weather. I was also approached by several young children who wanted to be hugged by Santa. This was a wonderful experience.

Listening to skeptical views on what was in it for us was one call of the day. I was even offered money by one mum as I hugged her little girl! Disarming people about our intentions was another rewarding aspect of our day. Our aim is to spread a few smiles around London and feel good as we see the results. It is a perfect win-win investment of time.

As the day turned to night and our group thinned out we decided to go and sing some Christmas songs on the underground and hand out a few free hugs. This proved to be a great exercise in lifting the spirits of the tube. Not everyone wanted a free hug but a surprising amount of people did.

We had people sing along, lots of applause, lots of smiles and plenty of confused-looking people as we raised the energy of the tube.

When all of my fellow free-huggers finally went their separate ways it was just me heading home on the night train to St Albans. I did not anticipate that it would be snowing or that I'd have so much fun.

The train was crammed and the mood was generally low from a few returning revelers who were squashed together.

To cheer things up on a very crowded train I sung a few songs and a group of men joined in, easing the atmosphere. This also prompted a few songs from further down the carriage. About mid-way into the journey I noticed a very small boy, who could not have been more than about 5 years old. He was looking up at me, slightly bemused. I kneeled down to ask him how he was and, suddenly, all of the revelry around me stopped as the train travelers appeared to focus in on our conversation.

I had a chat with him before asking the young lad if he would like a hug. He nodded before giving me the most amazing hug of the day. It lasted several minutes and seemed to transform the mood of the train.

In those minutes something magical happened and it felt amazing. I felt the energy of the train shift as they saw Santa in action. He was clearly real for the young man and the incident brought tears to my eyes as I realised how he felt.

To touch lives in a deep and meaningful way, if only for a moment, is something that words cannot truly describe. Many people thanked me as they exited the train and I received a big cheer as I got off at St Albans. I returned home last night having people smile at me and even stop to say hello. This is not commonplace for me in St Albans with people I don't know.

For anyone who does not believe in Santa or the magic of Christmas I strongly recommend that you dress up and experience it for yourself. Today I feel better than I have all year. Yesterday I had some flu-like symptoms starting to manifest. Today they have gone and I spent most of my day in cold weather.

No amount of drugs, health care, rehabilitation or counseling will ever work as quickly as the desire to have fun, connect with people and touch lives in a meaningful way. I now believe in Santa and his magic all over again and feel very grateful for the gift that my fellow free huggers, numerous children and especially my young friend on the train home that I hugged, have given to me. Santa is, and always will be, as real as we allow him to be.

I have not felt this good in a long time.

The Penny Drops - But I Don't!

Life certainly has a laughable habit of leaving questions unanswered for years. Indeed they usually get forgotten until the answer finally pops up years later!

As a young lad my Grandad used to walk behind me and randomly trip me up. This gave him much amusement and me a few bruises along the way. Indeed, in today's climate of political correctness and rules gone mad, he may well have ended up in trouble!

Despite his penchant for practical jokes at my expense that gave him much amusement, he was always very good to me and I loved him dearly. I also, over time, became very good at adjusting my body to unexpected trips. That is not to say that I don't fall occasionally!

Last night I found myself at a country club, in the relative wilderness, when the snow decided to come down very fast and turn things very slippery and treacherous in just a few hours. When we finally left it was time for a very slow trip home on some very slippery paths.

Fortunately, my friend managed to get me almost home before I opted to walk up the final hill, not wishing him to get stuck, as happened with a few cars as I walked up it. I decided to push one out of a slippery spot and watched people fall over all around me.

On a few occasions my feet slipped on slippery patches, catching me off-guard. However, I managed to compose myself quickly and avoid some potentially nasty falls. When I finally arrived in I sat down and contemplated the gift that my Grandad gave me. It may have taken the best part of 30 years to unlock the true gift that he gave me, preparing me from a young age for such freak weather conditions!

I have been smiling all day as I remember my training all those years ago that prepared me so well for last night. I am feeling very grateful since getting in last night and loving the quirky sense of humour that life serves up on such occasions.

I dedicate this entry to the memory of my grandad, who I loved very dearly when he was alive - and even more so after my penny drop moment last night. Thank you :-)