wytchcroft: heavent sent (emma peel)
wytchcroft ([personal profile] wytchcroft) wrote2008-12-10 06:05 pm

Writer's Block: Traditional Pursuits aka They Keep Killing Santa

[Error: unknown template qotd] Ah the old traditions - (insert spontaneous Topol dancing) well they come and go... and it's always sad to lose a favourite. In the UK there are many traditions that are swept away by the years - progress - fashions - whim - politics or just expense. One such tradition was the annual 'Let's shoot the sh!t out of Santa' that for many years kept Manchester a-giggle.

The Santa in question - a large inflatable chap - suffered years of indignity until being replaced by what can only be described as a Japanese Giant Killer Robot. A killer, if only in the sense that the current needed to power the thing means draining the supply from several other small European cities - that's Mancuians for you, put one down a manhole and you can have free power for a year, if you don't mind never seeing Naupland again.

Personally i miss the first Santa - clinging to the spires of the town hall for dear life like an unhappy King Kong- and quite often to be heard farting air noisily through various bullet holes. Eventually Santa v.01 burst from its hold completely and like a Pink Floyd pig was last scene flying at speed out of the North of England. 

Santa v.02 was friendly looking - but it didn't stop him from getting the same gleeful treatment as his predecessor. 

Santa v.03 - though it's fun to watch Christmas revellers, hit by the strobe effects, fall into epileptic spasms and psychosis - lacks, oh - i don't know... charm perhaps.


  
santa no.2                                 santa clausv.03 

Here is a link to the 'official' euphemistic version of the story - note, even the newspaper can barely keep a straight face.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/229/229138_town_hall_santas_last_christmas.html
 

[identity profile] stoshagownozad.livejournal.com 2008-12-10 07:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Funny customs! Shiny Santas!
Shooting Santa... and getting seizures due to strobo killer!!!!
we here are much more moderate. we just installing rockets in the middle of the front yard and: bah! bah! babah!

[identity profile] wytchcroft.livejournal.com 2008-12-10 07:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Xa Xa XA!!!! :D

that is something else i'd like to see!

[identity profile] stoshagownozad.livejournal.com 2008-12-10 07:16 pm (UTC)(link)
well, small rockets of course... moderate, I'd say.
but I think astronauts still could see our little town from the Space at the time of New Year HELLO!:)))

[identity profile] wytchcroft.livejournal.com 2008-12-10 07:19 pm (UTC)(link)
I shall call you Soyuzhagownozad from now on!!!! :D

[identity profile] stoshagownozad.livejournal.com 2008-12-10 07:20 pm (UTC)(link)
How do you spell this???

WOW!
:))))))

How do you spell this???

[identity profile] wytchcroft.livejournal.com 2008-12-10 07:27 pm (UTC)(link)

not very easily!! ha ha ha!
But i could call you SoYUz for short?? I used to like Salyut 6 but that would make you sound like a robot! Yes, all the Russian rocket names i know are from many many years ago.. pardon my cobb-webs and wrinkles ;))

Re: How do you spell this???

[identity profile] stoshagownozad.livejournal.com 2008-12-10 07:46 pm (UTC)(link)
:)))
СоЮз sounds nice :)

Re: How do you spell this???

[identity profile] wytchcroft.livejournal.com 2008-12-10 08:04 pm (UTC)(link)
i like it! Ok:) СоЮз it is:)

i may even have a poster somewhere...

and now i AM nostalgic...

[identity profile] wytchcroft.livejournal.com 2008-12-10 08:08 pm (UTC)(link)

Cosmopark... dream dream dream. ;D

Re: and now i AM nostalgic...

[identity profile] stoshagownozad.livejournal.com 2008-12-10 08:20 pm (UTC)(link)
:)))

I was used to keep a list of all space crews visiting poor Salut 6 and then Mir Station...

I am nostalgic too

Re: and now i AM nostalgic...

[identity profile] wytchcroft.livejournal.com 2008-12-10 08:40 pm (UTC)(link)
*GRIN*