'Tis the season at SteynOnline: we have plenty of Yuletide delights over at the Steyn Store - and, if you really want to treat your beloved this Christmas, there's always a stateroom on the Mark Steyn Caribbean Cruise.
~Welcome to the conclusion of our first holiday Tale for Our Time - my own short story Plum Duff, prompted partly by the grim headlines from around Europe of a season under siege - and partly by two young women I spoke to a while back, from opposite ends of Germany, who told me they'd decided not to sing with their caroling groups at Christmas markets any more because, as one put it, "Christmas is now a target".
And not just Christmas. Holiday news from Sadiq Khan's London:
Havering Borough Council has cancelled its Hanukkah celebration this year.
The council says the Jewish festival "could risk further inflaming tensions..."
Gotcha. The best way to avoid inflaming tensions is if all the Jews stay in the attic.
Members of The Mark Steyn Club can hear me read the end of Plum Duff simply by clicking here and logging-in. Part One can be found here.
Thank you for your kind words about this Yuletide diversion. From Diana Blackwell in California:
What a brilliant story! The way you have deftly interwoven the pudding recipe with news reports, the characters' memories, declining Christianity, and the whole absurd tapestry of castrated PC modernity, is poignant and very real. In recent weeks I have felt a little like the main character, struggling to preserve beloved Christmas traditions while all the currents of the culture threaten to sweep them away. Can't wait for Part Two.
For those who feel the same way, here it is.
As December proceeds, we'll be here with more seasonal programming every day all the way to Christmas.
If you've yet to hear any of our over five dozen Tales for Our Time, you can do so by joining The Mark Steyn Club. For details on membership, see here - and, if you're seeking a Christmas present for a fellow fan of serialised audio fiction, don't forget our Steyn Club Gift Membership.
On the other hand, if you'd like a book in old-fashioned book form, over at the Steyn store, there are bargains galore among our Steynamite Specials.
