Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. You deserve it.

Thanks to a lot of snow it's a very white Christmas here at Smedley Towers, but even if there isn't so much as a flake of snow where you are it doesn't matter. What matters is that you and your loved ones have a very merry Christmas. I hope you do. You deserve it. You've managed to get through this year after all, enduring Swine Flu, global recession, news filled with doom and gloom, and a whole load of other crap that 2009 has thrown at us. So enjoy yourself. I know you will. And I know I will too. I've got my Christmas socks on and a glass of cheer in my hand, ready for Santa to come and hopefully bring some nice presents.
So from me, whoever you are and whatever you're doing and wherever you're doing it, have a really fantastic Christmas. And here's a little seasonal tune just for you.

Lord Smedley's Annual Christmas Message...

Butler, pass the mince pies and port! Direct from the Christmas room at Smedley Towers, it's Lord Smedley's Annual Christmas Message!

Seriously though, have a very Merry Christmas and a brilliant New Year. And if you do drink, make sure it's something Lord Smedley would approve of!

Me Elsewhere

Have a gander at the logo I designed for Chris and his blog. He didn't ask me to, but I feel everyone deserves a logo of their own. He also has some very lovely things to say about it. And if you really fancy a logo of your own, perhaps for a blog, then now's the time to ask me, as I'm full of Christmas spirit and liable to acts of cartooning kindness.

A Rather Special Announcement...

Today Chris and I are officially announcing The New Year Novel Duel, a mighty duel between the two of us to see who can write the best novel over the course of an entire year. The details about it are on the New Year Novel Duel blog we've created to launch and chronicle the event as it happens throughout all of 2010 (and a very handsome blog it is too, what with his knowledge of Wordpress and my snazzy logo). It's where you can see how the duel works, information about the duelists (we're both posing with my Star Wars guns, it's great), catch up on our individual and collective progress, read extracts from the novels as they grow, and view the pictures, quotes and cartoons that are helping to inspire our work. And you'll also be able to follow us on Twitter (yes, even I will be Tweeting! I put an app on my iPod and everything!). The contest between us starts on New Year's Day 2010 and ends at the stroke of midnight December 31st as 2011 rolls in.

The whole duel idea was Chris' and I've been excited about it for weeks now since he told me. It's not only a great way to keep us both writing, but it means that we'll be able to write those books we've been meaning to get around to writing, but are always putting off. Hopefully you'll find it entertaining to watch and read our progress, plus, at the end of it there'll be two great novels to read.

So head on over to the blog now to read the introduction to it all and subscribe to the feed so you'll have a front row seat of the action when it all starts on January 1st 2010. Not long to go now!

Day 7: Jingle Bells?

Oh dear. Not a great time for toy rodents. First the safety of the Go Go Hamster is called into question for apparently containing dangerous amounts of antimony, and now it seems a toy mouse has been recalled after complaints that it was singing a word not usually found in the tune 'Jingle Bells'. What is that word? Well you can listen to the tune on here on the BBC News site.
Is it actually saying that? I'm not sure. I think it's just a really crappy recording, but it certainly does sound dodgy...

Day 5: Manger Stranger

An inspired clip from the Christmas episode of Mr. Bean...

Day 2: When up on the roof there arose such a clatter...

Day 1: The Ghost of Christmas Past...

It's the first of December and officially the run-up to Christmas, which means the launch of the 'Too Close For Comfort' Advent Calendar Blog! Each and every day from now until the 25th there'll be a festive post to get you in the mood for mistletoe and mince pies. There'll be Christmassy Cartoons, a seasonal 'Rob's Random 5', jokes, recipes, music and mullings, plus a sack full of other great stuff.

To start off, here's a Christmas message that was made and posted last year. A lot of people liked it so I thought I'd put it up again. Closer to the big day there'll be a new Christmas message that I'm hoping will have more than just me in it (I think I'll have to make it an annual thing, like the Queen's Speech. Except not dull). So pour yourself a mug of cocoa, sit by the freshly-decorated tree, and enjoy watching me in a silly hat...

Don't forget to return tomorrow for Day 2's treat!