This weekend we turned on the Christmas lights in Bridgwater - and without even a word from Noddy Holder - the festive season was with us once more, writes Bridgwater Town Council Leader, Cllr Brian Smedley.

Fireworks shot above the dome of the Cornhill, snowy blue and white lights lit up the streets, and squibs crackled and smoked across the town bridge.

Bridgwater does Christmas well, and even when we don’t, at least it’s funny - like that time comedy Mayor Leigh Redman and Sedgemoor Chair Peter Clayton got the Covid switch-on wrong and the Cornhill lit up before they’d even pressed the pretend plunger - Bridgwater went viral, well, even more so because we already had Covid.

Personally, I wish it could be Christmas every day, but when is it actually meant to start??

The first day of Christmas is clearly the 25th of December, and the last is the 6th of January - 12th Night - then it’s over, so no way is it the 25th of November.

The Tudors strictly celebrated it on these dates, and it was a time where the upper classes delivered hospitality and kindness to their poorer neighbours and subjects, which is why the autumn budget statement is now in late November just in case its bad news...

By the 17th century however, the Puritans, victorious in the civil war, even cancelled Christmas.

Why? Well, of course Christmas had been associated with overindulgence, especially by the ultra-rich.

King Richard II famously had a Christmas feast including 28 oxen and 300 sheep, and while his nickname ‘Richard the Mildly Overweight’ seems to have been erased from history books, it was this kind of gluttony that led to the banning in 1647.

This naturally turned out to be not so popular and rioting broke out in response, stamped out by troops and effectively sending Christmas underground until King Charles the II (the one after the one who’d had his head chopped off) brought it back in 1660.

So, in Bridgwater we’re firmly on the side of celebrating Christmas.

Even a month early, the Town Council organises ‘Snowflakes and Shopping’, which has been shortened to ‘Snowflakes’ - odd title for the Brexit capital of Somerset - anyway, we’ve resisted ‘Wokeflakes’.

The Christmas lights turn on now heralds in a whole wave of pre-Christmas events, kicking off with The Town Council’s Christmas Fayre (11am to 3pm on Sunday the 3rd December at the Town Hall), and there’s even a Santa there, plus Elsa from ‘Frozen’, whoever that is.

So, with only 385 days to Christmas 2024 are you up to date with your plans to send your Christmas cards to much loved relatives far far away?

Or, like me, do you get to December 18th and think 'Jesus when actually was the last posting date for Djibouti??'  - in fact, it’s the 6th December, or 11th December if it’s in Europe.

Now of course there’s a few Christmas myths we just have to put up with - there weren’t three wise men - no number was actually specified, just 3 gifts; gold, frankincense and myrrh.

That could have been one guy with all three, or ten guys and seven who simply forgot to bring anything.

Father Christmas himself, contrary to popular myth, not designed to match the red and white logo of the coca cola corporation, is in fact probably based on the Norse God Odin who would deliver gifts whilst riding his eight legged horse Sleipner across the midwinter nights sky.

An eight-legged horse? Now that’s an easy mistake for half a dozen reindeer - especially one with a bright red nose.

And then of course there was Good King Wenceslaus, the Duke of Bohemia, who went around his subjects’ houses delivering winter fuel - nice guy!

Although soon after that he was murdered by his brother ‘Boleslav the Cruel’, he probably should have spotted that one coming.

But was Jesus even born on Christmas day?

Likely not, however, all Kings, Queens and saviours need ‘official birthdays'.

As Leader of the Town Council, my official birthday is 29 February - conveniently a leap year - which means I am in fact 16 with my whole life ahead of me.

Ho ho ho. Merry Christmas to you all. Even the Tories.