So this is Christmas, just where to begin. Everything does link together in some strange way so I will see how I get on. With all the hype and commercial pressure, I think many of us forget the religious significance of the day. It is not about the presents, the tree, or the food. It is about the feeling you have inside and goodwill to your fellow man (or woman). A friend often comments to me that it is about expectations and how we fail to manage them. I tend to agree, but for me, it is more than just one day, it is about the time of year, the smiles among other people and the sparkle in the eyes of children (both young and old).

My sister asked Santa for some perfume and received True Star, the perfume by Miss Knowles. When I smelt the aroma, it made me think. It smells just as you would expect Beyoncé to smell like. I know this sounds completely stupid and I will never (ever) be able to verify this statement, but someone, somewhere must understand what I mean. She is not the first and will not be the last to carry out one of these celebrity endorsements. Most people believe that no star would wear the product they are so closely associated with. In the case of the former Destiny’s Child singer, I will, in my own mind make an exception.

This links us well to my next topic. Movie trailers. On Christmas Eve, with an hour or so to spare, my Dad and I decided to check out the latest movie trailers on my X-Box. There were several that caught my attention, but one features B. While I am not a fan of remakes, The Pink Panther, with Steve Martin in the lead role looks good. Sure, no one can replace Peter Sellers or Burt Kwok as Cato. They have made it a prequel to the original 1963 movie to keep the distance from the original masterpieces and included an all-star cast and glittery location. From the trailer, the humour is there, but will the plot and storyline match? Time will tell. Book the date in your diary, February 10th. The other trailers that we saw, which are worth noting are Mission Impossible III, which looks a blast. Tom is back and this time, it looks like the love interest is there to do more than just look pretty. The third film in the X-Men series looks darker, with various twists and turns. Then the final trailer, which perhaps showed the least amount of the movie was Superman Returns. They call them teaser trailers and you will be begging for more. Superman, perhaps is my favourite superhero and his return to the silver screen is much anticipated. While the cape will be a difficult fit, particular Reeve, who played the part so well, the story will also need to be believable (if you can ever say that with comic book movie adaptations). In any case, the director, Singer has gone back to the original for both the score (Williams must be the best theme tune producer ever!) and the narrative. Marlon Brando returns from the grave to utter the immortal line, which send a chill down your spine as Superman flies off into the distance. ‘They only lack the light to show the way, for this reason above all, their capacity for good. I have sent them you, my only son’. What more can I add after the words of the great Jor-El. 2006 is going to be a great year for movies.

The usual question at this time of year, is what did you get? Or did Santa bring you anything good / nice? I will quote my friend, Pav who said on Christmas Day on MSN, ‘the usual bits and bobs’. The usual DVD’s, CDs and clothes. However, I was most jealous of my first cousin, Ramzi. Who got from my sisters, this fantastic spaceship. To Infinity & Beyond. The intro sequence to Toy Story 2 (which was shown on BBC1 on Christmas Day) has to be my favourite of all time (including normal motion picture movies). I recorded the segment onto my PC as an mpg file. I’ll save the snapshots for another time. You never know when you’ll need to call upon a space ranger.

Toy Story 2, cleverly links us to the next topic of discussion. The Greatest Family Films of all time. The festive period would not be complete without some countdown shows and Channel 4 are not one to disappoint. Back To The Future came seventh, which is fantastic, considering the movie is now well over twenty years old. Plus ET is a deserving winner, it has everything you expect from a family movie. The talk of the sci-fi trilogy, got me heading over to the non-official home, over at BTTF dot com. On the news page, I discovered there was a rumour that Michael J. Fox was keen on returning for a fourth movie. However, a quick visit to the DeLorean Owners Club UK provided the truth behind the headlines. There was no discussion of a fourth film and as usual Fox’s comments had been misconstrued. In any case, this news came to remind me that I am (in name only) a member of the DOC UK. (Yes, I know I don’t own a DeLorean but it is a club for non-owners as well!) and that I need to pay my annual subscription by the end of the year. On the site there was news of upcoming events in 2006. A weekend over in East Anglia at the home of Lotus caught my eye straight away and I e-mailed the club secretary straight away for further details. Still awaiting his reply but a trip down to the spiritual father of the DeLorean, will make for a fantastic weekend in June.

Wow, this is turning out to be one of my epic entries. So how best to end such an entry? A quote from my favourite soap. Sorry, make that my beloved soap, Eastenders. We are in the A & E department and father turns to his sun to say… “How many times have I told you Thomas, your not a Dalek!” Boy, aged around 7 with saucepan on his head!. Moments later a drunk guy goes into the Christmas tree, which was standing in the corner. The tree then collapses on top of him! Classic.