Yes my friends, it's that time of yearagain where we all go raving mad andspend all our hard earnt money onfood, booze and presents.

I don't know about you but I feel the"Magic of Christmas" has gone nowdays. I could not help but notice thatsupermarkets and the like weredisplaying Christmas goodies as earlyas the beginning of October!

Even my local computer shop haddecided to jump on the band wagon andhad put up decorations and bits offrigging tinsel around the monitors oftheir nice new Pentium powered PC's.

Sod all wrong with that, if it helpsto sell the beasts, but NOT at thebloody beginning of October!

No, I'm not a miserable old fart thatdetests Christmas and all that goeswith it. I am however pissed off withhaving Christmas shoved down my throatTHREE soding months before the eventby EVERY shop in town. They might aswell start displaying Easter cards,after all April isn't that far off!

Sad really, isn't it? What used to bea truly "Magic Time Of The Year" formost people has turned into "onehideous commercial rip-off."

And we are all like bluddy lemmingsaren't we? We rush out as soon theshops beckon us with their goodies andspend as if there is no tomorrow. Behonest with yourselves. How many folkreading this haven't already boughthalf their wares by November?

Why do we do it? Because we have allbeen slowly conditioned year by yearby the media, shops and any othermoney making bastard that profits byselling goods at Christmas.

Sales directors brief their staff asfar early as September on how and justhow early to launch Christmas upon thepublic, and just like lemmings, wefollow suit!

Even The CRYPT has fallen victim,after all if it wasn't for Christmasthen you would not be reading thisCryptmas Edition.

Oh well! Never mind! Christmas comesjust once a year even if it does seemto arrive earlier each time, so Ireckon it's time to thank one and allfor the hard graft you put in to yourcontributions and to say..