THERE he was, in a crowd of people on a busy street. A smartly dressed man of senior years, going about his business on an ordinary day.

There was something about this stranger; the way he walked, and his tweed flat cap, that caught my breath. Then he was gone, and I felt a bit lost.

For a few seconds, it was like looking at my dad. I half expected him to catch my eye and call my name - how I would love to hear his voice again.

I lost my dad nearly four years ago, not long after Christmas. People have long since stopped asking about it, because grief has a shelf life, but I miss him every day, and Christmas isn’t the same without him. Anyone who has lost a loved one will know that. And they will know how it feels to see someone who looks familiar, in a crowded street, and to feel the icy hand of grief briefly take hold.

At Christmas we’re bombarded with images of happy families and joyful celebrations. It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year, goes that corny easy-listening classic, trotted out every Christmas. It is, of course, a lovely time, and a respite from life’s treadmill. But for many people, it’s a poignant time. I used to love Christmas. Now I’m a bit relieved when it’s over.

I know a couple whose teenage son died at Christmas. They continue to trim the tree, wrap the presents and pull the crackers, because that’s what you do at Christmas, and they have other children to think about, but it’s a time of year that leaves them feeling lost. “I endure Christmas, because I have to,” said his mother.

Bereavement goes hand in hand with loneliness, even if you have people around you. But if you really are alone, the jollity of the festive season must seem particularly cruel.

Thank goodness for people like Lyn Parker, who is once again serving up Christmas dinner for people who are on their own.

Lyn, a teacher at Oxenhope Primary School, first organised the event last year and it went so well she’s doing it again. On Christmas Day she and other volunteers will spend a few hours cooking and serving lunch at St Theresa’s Church Hall in Queensbury. There have been generous donations of food and gifts, and organisers are raising funds to provide transport.

Here’s to them, and all the other kind-hearted souls who give up their time to help others at Christmas, serving lunch, handing out gifts and organising games in church halls, community centres and day shelters.

For many people, Christmas isn’t like it is in the TV adverts. It’s a painful reminder of what they have lost, or perhaps never had to start with. Thanks to people like Lyn Parker and her team of volunteers, it will be a little brighter for some this year.

* Anyone who would like to attend Lyn’s Christmas dinner, or make a donation, is asked to call her on 07976831467.

* Old school glamour with Strictly hunk

STACEY Dooley embodied all that's great about Strictly Come Dancing, and I was delighted that she and professional partner Kevin Clifton won this year's series.
But for me the highlight of Saturday night's Strictly final was Faye and Giovanni's elegant show dance. Classic ballroom and old school glamour; watching them waltz was like being lost in an old Hollywood movie. Their 'couple's choice' Fosse-inspired routine was a class act too. Oh to be led around the dance floor by dreamy Giovanni Pernice... Lucky Faye Tozer.   

* Not such a jolly holiday with Mary...

THE hype heralding this week's release of the new Mary Poppins film takes me back to the original, which was a staple of Christmas TV viewing.

It would be beyond comprehension for today's children, who have a gazillion TV channels at their disposal, but in the pre-video Seventies we watched the same old films churned out every year on Christmas Day. The ones I recall were Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Wizard of Oz. They started off well but, like the cold turkey sandwiches my mum trundled in on a trolley on Christmas afternoon, they soon got a bit dry. I usually lost interest in Mary Poppins well before the end of the film.

Nice to see her back, though. Nothing like a spoonful of nostalgia at Christmas...

* I WROTE a couple of weeks ago about the simple but much valued ritual of giving and receiving Christmas cards, and it seems to have struck a chord with some like-minded readers.

One reader sent me a delightful poem, Christmas Greetings, which captures beautifully the sentiment behind a simple card: “Never think my Christmas cards are just a mere routine, Of names upon a Christmas list, forgotten in-between. For when I send a Christmas card that is addressed to you, It’s because you’re on that list of folks that I’m indebted to. For we are but a total of the many folks we’ve met, And you happen to be one of those I prefer not to forget. And whether I have known you for many years or few, In some ways you have had a part in shaping things I do.”

Happy Christmas.