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Falmouth-based Tony Brown has been a barman, salesman and traveller and is well-known in his home town.
After completing the creative writing course at Falmouth College he went on to find out how to teach English as a foreign language.

This take of Christmas past - and present - first appeared on the independent Internet magazine Hackwriters.com

It's my time of year. I always think of Christmas as midnight on the annual clock, then it's followed by New Year when everything starts again.

But for a whole week, everyone shares the same celebrations and I love it when we share.

I love community spirit. For me, Christmas is a world community thing. I suppose I'm just a big softy but there's no harm in being a little off centre. I can handle that. I'm known to stifle a sob just watching This is Your Life.

Even the Eclipse had me in tears for the same reason. Here in Cornwall, it was a community thing. We were all subject to the same natural phenomena and it brought a huge spontaneous reaction from the cosmopolitan community that lives here. We were cheering and clapping and hugging and kissing like it was the last day on earth.

If only it were always like that. Forget the commercial angle and the cynicism. Christmas is what you make it and we mustn't ignore its magic or its art.

People say Christmas is for children. Bah! Humbug! When I was a kid it was the adults who had all the fun in our house. They were far too busy for me. I was sent to bed too early. I'd sit at the top of the stairs and listen to the music and the voices singing and talking rubbish.

The grown-ups would dance and stumble against the furniture and the men would declare undying love to anyone that caught their eye then drop their drinks on the carpet. I couldn't wait to grow up.

There's always fun at Christmastime. It all starts when the pubs close and you get invited round to some stranger's house to enjoy all their drinks. We have quite a wide circle of friends here in Falmouth who got to know each other from working in a local bar/restaurant together.

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