1

Well done to everyone who contributed to the Michael Gary

House. With your help, they have been able to supply food

and clothing to the homeless people of Newbridge and have

made Christmas that bit easier. A special mention to Fr.

Larry and the Transition Year students for all the extra work

The College Press

————-Thursday, 22nd December 2011 Issue 2 Volume 7 ————

The Christmas Issue

they did to promote

and organise the pro-

ject. Without them it

would not have been

possible. Visits can be

arranged to the

Michael Gary House

for all those interested

in further fundraising.

It is important to

remember over Christ-

mas how lucky you are

and to keep in mind

those less fortunate.

2

College Press Editorial Team

Editors: Sorcha Lavelle-Walsh

Ciara Maher

Student Contributors: Lauren Muldowney

Aisling Wyer

Erin Quinn

Gráinne Carr

Eve McGoldrick

Chloé O’Reilly

Sam Burke

Hannah Egan

Róisín Flynn

Celine Dignam

Sophie Forde- Egan

3

Editorial

Hi Everyone,

We can’t believe we’re already halfway through the

year! Christmas is only a few days away and we’re

sure everyone is really excited for Santa.

Unfortunately for us, Irish weather hasn’t provided

the means for us to miss a couple days shool. Yes,

the Big Freeze predicted to arrive as soon as October

still hasn’t arrive. Fingers crossed for January!

We have to apologise to any mistakes you might

come across in this issue. We had a last minute com-

puter meltdown so didn’t get a proper chance to look

over everything. Sorry!

We hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable

Christmas.

Until next term,

Sorcha & Ciara :)

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Christmas Survey

What is the worst Christmas present you have ever received?

Hat and gloves

What is the best present you have ever received? Hungry hippos (board game)

What is your Christmas wish? For my net to capture santa!

Anon.

What is the best present you have ever received? A 12 piece drum kit!

What is your favourite Christmas song? White Christmas

What time do you get up at on Christmas morning? 8 o clock

Lucy

What time do you get up at on Christmas morning? 12 o'clock

What is the worst Christmas present you have ever received? A book

What is your Christmas wish? To get an ipad2

Stephen

By Lauren Muldowney

5

What you need:

1: Cream felt for the

centre

2: Felt for the outer

circles

3: Embroidery Thread

4: Green felt for the tree

or readymade tree

5: 10 buttons

6: ribbon for hanging

1. Cut two circles with a diameter of 7cm

for the middle section. Using blanket

stitch, stitch the two circles together, or

glue them if you don’t know how to sew

2. Cut 20 circles with a diameter of

3.5 cm for the outer circles.

3. Sew them together

using blanket stitch as you

did for the middle one. Do

this 10 times. Sew this to

the main circle as shown.

4.Decorate your decoration by

putting buttons on each of the

smaller circles.

5.Add a felt Christmas tree to the

centre with a green felt tree

and small red and silver felt

decorations. Sew on with

embroidery thread. You could

also use readymade felt cut

outs or iron on Christmas

patches.

6.Add a small ribbon to the top.

Christmas tree Decoration

By Erin Quinn

6

150g butter, 200g golden syrup,200g black treacle or molasses,125g dark muscovado sugar,2 teaspoons finely grated ginger,1 teaspoon ground ginger,300g plain flour,1 teaspoon ground cinnamon,1/4 teaspoon ground cloves,1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, dissolved in 2 x 15ml tablespoons warm water,250ml full-fat milk,2 eggs, beaten to mix

Ingrediants

Sticky Ginger Bread

Preparation

1 Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3 and line a roasting tin or ovenproof dish (approx. 30cm x 20cm x 5cm) with Bake-O-Glide, foil or baking parchment (if using foil, grease it too).

2 In a saucepan, melt the butter over a lowish heat along with the sugar, syrup, treacle, fresh and ground gingers, cinnamon and cloves.

3 Take off the heat, and add the milk, eggs and dissolved bicarbonate of soda in its water.

4 Measure the flour into a bowl and pour in the liquid ingredients, beating until well mixed. It will be a very liquid batter, so don’t worry. This is part ofwhat makes it sticky later.

5 Pour it into the prepared tin and bake for 45–60 minutes until risen and firm on top. Try not to overcook, as it is nicer a little stickier, and anyway will carry on

cooking as it cools.

6 Transfer the tin to a wire rack and let the gingerbread cool in the tin before cutting into 20 squares, or however you wish to slice it.

MAKE AHEAD TIP:Make the gingerbread up to 2 weeks ahead, wrap loosely in baking parchment and store in an airtight tin. Cut into squares as required.

FREEZE AHEAD TIP:Make the gingerbread, wrap in baking parchment and a layer of f oil then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 3–4

hours and cut into squares.

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Christmas Rocky Road

250g/9oz dark chocolate, chopped,150g/5oz milk chocolate chopped,175g/6oz butter, softened, plus extra for greasing, 4 tbsp golden syrup, 200g/7oz amaretti biscuits,150g/5oz shelled Brazilian nuts,150g/5oz red glacé cherries,125g/4oz mini marshmallows,1 tbsp icing sugar,edible glitter, to decorate (optional)

Ingrediants 1Place the dark and milk chocolate pieces into a heavy-based pan. Add the butter and golden syrup and cook over a low heat to melt and combine.

2Place the amaretti biscuits into a freezer bag and bash with a rolling pin to make crumbs of various sizes.

3Place the Brazilian nuts into another freezer bag and bash in the same way.

4Take the pan of melted chocolate mixture off the heat and add the crushed biscuits and nuts.

5Add the glacé cherries and mini marshmallows. Fold the mixture carefully to coat all of the solid ingredients with the syrupy chocolate mixture.

6Pour the mixture into a 25cm/10in x 30cm/12in greased and lined baking tray and smooth the surface as much as possible (although it will look bumpy).

7Refrigerate for two hours, or until firm enough to cut. Dust with icing sugar, then sprinkle with edible glitter if you wish.

Remove the block of rocky road from the tray and cut into 24 rectangles.

You can view this on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrtczgbicXo&feature=g-all

By Sam Burke

Preparation

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What do we honestly think when we hear 'debating' in the daily notices? A few typically stereotyped, "nerds" in white-starched t-shirts and ties arguing? Well I'm here to say that those days are OVER! I'm sorry to those who have an appetite for that kind of thing, but debating teams across the broad are once again making a strong comeback, and I'm proud to say that our school is striving towards becoming increasingly popular.

For those who are already lost and wondering what on earth I am talking about, a debate is an argument with rules. The goal is to come up with a good argument in a short amount of time, for or against the motion. You're encouraged to read about current events and controversial issues to prepare. There are various outlets to cater many interests, especially in the College! Pupils in every year are involved in public speaking or debating of some sort – from class debates and school leagues in the junior cycle to Concern, Rigby Jones, Soroptomist and other public competitions for transition, fifth and sixth year students. In addition, senior students have an opportunity to represent the school in Irish, German and French debating competitions.

While debating is a form of art, involving aspects from showmanship to critical thinking, there are certain strategies that are commonly used to shape the direction of a debate.What's important to notice is that each of these sections are timed. Judges will then assign a winner based on the strength of

the arguments and the professionalism of the teams. One team is usually declared and that team will advance to a new round.

The crazy thing is (which I know many of you aren't aware of) that if you're succesful in advancing to the top (as of course you will- we're Newbridge College after all!), you are in the chance of winning trips abroad all over the world, or in some cases, the winner takes all with major

prizes on hand.

Not only are there amazing prizes and opportunities on offer, but by participating on a debate team students learn the art of persuasion. That's

Debating By Aisling Wyer

9

not something that you can commonly pick up on in life, it's a skill that is mastered with technique and percision. Research has shown that participation in debating increases students' academic performance. You can benefit hugely from preparing for debates and by honing research skills. This is the opportunity for you to get out of your shell and giving you a voice to preach whatever topic you want. Needless to say it looks pretty awesome on your CV and gives a major benefits for job interviews. Not to mention it's a lot of fun to be involved in!

I know this may be old school to say and probably quite obvious but debat-ing requires commitment and planning, you can't just waltz in and expect to have the benefits up your sleeve immediately. You don't want to look like some outcast from X-factor bleating and squealing your way into stone faced embarrassment! It's respectful for yourself, your team mates but also the time and energy of the listeners. You need to be prepared but you don't have to be perfect- it's a learning curve after all. Muhammad Ali was knocked down twice and then rose to the top becoming champion. No one is perfect from the word 'go' but there has to be some level of interest and commitment in order to rise. You have to be willing to show some sort of physical commitment and manifestation of integrity to pursue. You have to want the opposing team to see that you know and believe in your argument, even if your argument is the complete opposite as to what you believe in! Remember that in war and debating, truth is the first casualty. You fend for it to the end or else it is pointless. If you think you can just jump in the ring with Mike Tyson with-out any training or level of skill in tight leather pants, the psychological mechanism around that seems to be a bit fruitful. Maybe you are one of the lucky billion and have a galaxy span of intellect that minimises anyone else's and can blow us all away with whatever type of pixie dust you have carrying around in your back pocket. Then yes, debating is your forte. Go for it! Otherwise, you have to have some degree of dedication and ethics or you should reconsider what really interests you.

The teams meet every week and if you're liking the sound of Debating or even Public Speaking you may just surprise yourself as to how good you really are! Remember the famous quote "It's better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it". Try it out and see what happens. What's the harm? Build self-confidence, character and social skills, and work as part of a team with the college.

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By Gráinne Carr

It was once again that time of the year. The time when costumes

were taken out of hibernation, the stage revitalised and given a

new lease of life, the teachers stressed out as ever before ... Yes,

it was musical time in Newbridge College!

As we all know our annual musicals always go down a roaring

success, and this year was no different. This year the students of

Newbridge College presented their own production (courtesy of

Mr. Doyle) of ‘Alice in Wonderland’.

Alice (played by Akvile Kovanaite), was just an ordinary girl who

got lost in a bizarre world full of weird and eccentric characters.

Along her way she made such friends like the Mad Hatter (Luke

Thai), Tweedle Dum (Gráinne Carr), Tweedle Dee (Jessica Devlin),

the White Queen (Catherine Murphy), the March Hare (Bronagh

Leahy), the White Rabbit (Sam Burke), the Doormouse (Elliot

Davis), Abselum (Nicola Flanagan) and the Cheshire Cat (Dervla

Collins). As well as dealing with all the strange things going on

around her, Alice also had to face the dreaded Red Queen

(Sorcha Lavelle-Walsh) in a battle that would win back the title of

‘Queen of Wonderland’ to the White Queen. The Knave of Hearts

(Gavin O’ Neill), was madly in love with the Queen of Hearts (I’m

sure you could tell by their passionate kiss at the end), so the

story didn’t end too well for him when Alice slayed his one true

love.

School Musical

11

All in all, this year’s musical once again lived up to the high

standards set by all the previous musicals of the school. Special

thanks to Mr. Doyle who directed the production and basically

wrote the entire script himself (the superman of the theatre

maybe?), Ms. Ryan for her very professional music directing

(Pokerface is a hard song to pull off you know) and Ms. Lenehan

for her brilliant producing (where would we be without our

famous ‘Abselum’ costume?).

We hope you enjoyed the show.

12

Interview with

School

Captain

Hi Aoife , first of all , I’d like to congratulate you on behalf of the school for being chosen to be School Captain.

So question time, 1. How did you feel when you were chosen as captain?

I was absolutely delighted! Shocked too ! It’s such an honour to be able to represent our school and I’m so greatful! 2. What do you think about the way prefects and

captains are chosen?

I definetly think it’s the best system possible . This way both staff and students get a say in the who they’d like to represent them. It’s the fairest way possible. 3. What is your favourite thing about Newbridge

College?

Definetly the people. There’s such a great atmosphere here and it makes people enjoy being here. 4. What would your advice be to the new students in the

school?

Not to be afraid. I know it’s a huge place with hundreds of people which can be scary especially when you’re new. Just be yourself and you’ll make friends in no time. 5. What do you plan to achieve as captain?

To be someone who other students can look up to and also to be a representive that the school can be proud of. Also , I’d like to think that people would feel comfortable approaching me if they ever have any problems!

13

6. What are your favourite subjects and teachers?

I don’t have a favourite teacher – they all teach in their own ways. It’s impossible to compare them! My favourite subject would be Maths – it’s tough and it’s really time consuming – but it’s satisfying once you understand it. 7. If you could change one thing about the school , what

would you change?

I’d derfinetly start school later, you can’t beat a good lie–in! 8. Finally , what are your plans for after Newbridge

College?

I'm not 100% sure yet but hopefully, I’ll study something to do with Science. At the moment I’m looking into engineering but I’ll probably change my mind in a few weeks! We wish Aoife the best of luck next year ,and congratulate her .

By Chloé O’Reilly

14

When a bunch of TY misfits headed down to UCC for the National Model U.N.

weekend, we didn’t expect much. We didn’t really know everyone in the group

well, didn’t have the best idea as to what the competition was all about, and

certainly had no clue what to expect from the weekend. When we came home

three days later, we had 4 prizes, loads of new friends (even if we only knew them

by the name of their country), and a love of an “unmoderated cacus”. There were

thirteen of us, and two teams- Iran and Ghana (no finer countries). With six on

each team, the remaining student was given the chance to witness a “mock”

Ghaddfi trial, and assit in decicding his sentence. On each of our teams, a student

was placed on a council, such as Humanartian, or Economic and Social. Each

council debated a different motion. We were all asked to represent our countries

views and argue their point, whether we agreed with it or not. We had two days of

debating , and by the end of the second one, each Council was expected to have

drawn up a Resolution.

We had Friday evening off, but were up bright and early on Saturday morning to

attend the first of the debates. It can only be described as intense, really long

sessions, but was great fun too. Everyone quickly got into it, and soon we found

our allies in the room. While we were expected to speak in a certain way and use

previously unheard of terms, it wasn’t all serious. My council ended up resolving

one side of Emergency Immigration by proposing the “Mass Production of Bunk-

beds”. The debates continued the following day. By now everyone had found their

footing and had a lot more confidence, declaring Nuclear Wars and the like.

Somehow, we managed to put aside our differences and come up with our

Resolutions, concluding Councils’ sessions.

While we weren’t coming up with solutions to famine or immigration, we had a lot

of fun! I asked the group what their favourite moments were and got a lot of

interesting replies. Some found Jesse, the competion’s organiser who was given

the nickname Blaine due his resembalance to the Glee character, a highlight.

Others thought that the “feisty ten year olds” with a “colourful dialect” who we

came across on our travels were a high point. Two people requested shout-outs to

National Model U.N. Competition

15

their ”“love-romances”, Belgium and Eygpt (I’ll say no more...). the sign on the

door...applauding after every sentence...the girl who followed us home one night

on the way to the hotel ...shopping ...polar-bear hats ... the song " up the ra" . . .

our unreal time at the leisureplex...” Along with all those amazing sounding

memories, we went to an Italian restauraunt, Captain America’s, and were treated

to free pizza! The weekend will definitly remain a highlight of TY. A huge thank you

to Ms Symthe and Mr King who accompainied us, and Ms O’Keefe and Mr Corbett

for organising the trip. Any chance we can go again next year?

16

For Him For Her

Dad

Comdey Series

Boxset, Men’s

Shaving Set,

Shaving Foam

Books,

Magazine

Subscription,

Shower Gift-set Mum

Grandad

Socks (only

works for him

or your dad!),

Books

Perfume,

Teacups, Mugs Granny

Younger

Brother

Nintendo Wii

Game, a

Football

Cosy Pyjamas,

Hiar band/

bobbin set.

Younger

Sister

Older

Brother

Earphones,

iTunes Voucher

Phone Credit,

Body Lotion,

Mostieriser

Older

Sister

Boyfriend

Gig Tickets for

Two (so he can

bring you...),

iPod Cover/

Earphones

Engraved

Charm Bracelet,

Teddy Beras

(awwww!) Girlfriend

Christmas Gift Guide By Hannah Egan

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Salt

Water

Flour

Olive oil

A rolling pin

Pastry cutters in various shapes

Some paint - use anything from acrylics to metallic sprays and glitter glue

Step One: Make the Dough: The recipe for salt dough is half, half, whole. Half a cup of salt and half a cup of water to a whole cup of flour. Put the salt and flour into a bowl, then add the water slowly to the dry mix. After about ten minutes of kneading, it should form a soft, pliant ball. If it's slightly too sticky, add more flour and if it's slightly too dry, add more water. If the dough still doesn't form a ball that you can mould into shapes, don't worry - the ingredients are so cheap, you can just throw it away and start again! Step Two: Cut the Dough Into Shapes: Once you've got your ball, roll it out and cut it into shapes using pastry cutters. If it starts to dry out while you're moulding shapes, use a little bit of olive oil to moisturise the dough. If you're making hanging ornaments, don't forget to make a little hole for hanging. Step Three: Harden the Shapes in the Microwave: Once the shapes are ready, they need two or three minutes in the microwave to harden them up. Put them onto a layer of greaseproof paper, on a plate. If you don't have a microwave, you can leave them to air-dry for a day or two, or you can put them into a very low oven until they're hard. You might need to cover them with foil if they start to go brown before they're done! Step Four: Paint the Decorations: Once the shapes are out of the oven, give them a while to cool down before starting to decorate them. You can paint salt dough with pretty much any paint, from acrylics to me-tallic sprays. There’s even glitter glue! Finish by coating with a clear var-nish if you'd like to use the decoration next year.

Salt Dough Christmas

Decorations You Need:

By Eve McGoldrick

18

Hockey Revolution

M ark M ess ier (Canadian ice hockey player) once said “I think the thing you’ve always got to keep in mind, you know, is that hockey is a game of one-on-one battles.” Smart guy, eh?

Whatever you want to call it, a “battle” an “uprising” or a “rebellion”, the hockey department is certainly making itself noticed! For those of you who

have blindly walked past all the posters of encouragement for the hockey teams (painstakingly put up by members of the senior and junior hockey teams) then read on and catch up on what you’ve missed.......

It all kicked off with a long facebook message sent from one frustrated hockey player to several others. This frustrated hockey player had had enough of the ridiculously sexist jibes in a

*certain* class, the comments that “sure, hockey isn’t a competitive sport” (those of us with constantly bruised knees and ankles beg to differ!) and the comment that “hockey is dirt” made by one particularly eloquent person.... (you need to brush up on your

adjectives mate! )

And so a seriously innovative group of girls came up with piles of ideas to promote the skillful game of hockey... including: applications to the IHA for ball control duties (at the European Qualifiers next March), research into umpiring courses, support for hockey cup games, an attempted revival of the

By Róisín Flynn

19

annual teachers versus students hockey match, the possibility of a trip to an international match or a division 1 game...... and several other exciting ideas we’re keeping under wraps for

now.

From there the stubborn tenacious ‘hockey revolution’ team has progressed to a poster campaign to keep the school community up to date on hockey matches, as well as having held several meetings about the setting-up of a hockey committee. We have approached Mr O’Shea about the setting up a hockey facebook page (watch this space!). So yeah- we’ve been busy.... (to the detriment of the 5th year Christmas exams- but hey, it’s all for a good cause!)

But before I go and start cramming as much information about Rates of Reactions, Elizabeth Bishop and An Gnáth Rud as I can possibly fit into my head... just to let y’all know: the Irish Men’s Hockey team are now ranked 16th in the world hockey rankings with Irish Women

ranked 14th

So that’s it for this issue. We’ll be keeping you informed on all the hockey news, so watch out for lots more posters! (I understand there’s a notice board going a-begging up around Armstrong’s

corridor..... )

Hope everyone has a safe and happy Christmas

*****Got an idea about how to promote hockey? Just contact me (nerdy looking 5th year with glasses and a massive school bag) or any

member of the Junior or Senior Hockey teams! ******

***********

Want to join the hockey revolution team? Got an

idea of how to improve hockey in the school?

Contact any member of the senior or junior hockey

team

******************

20

Is aoibheann liom mo scoil nua! Colaiste Dhroichead Nua is ainm do mo scoil. Is brea liom mo mhuinteorí. Tá a lán chara nua agam. Chloe, Hannah, Mari, Joyce agus Aoife is ainm dóibh.

Tá mé ag stadéar Mata, Gaeilge, Bearla, Tíreolaíocht, Stair, Eo-laíocht, Corpoideachas, Religiún, Ealaín, OSSP. Seo iad mo ab-hair nua… Gearmánais, Fraincis, Staidéar Gnó, Líníocht Theic-niúil, Adhmadóireacht, Tíos, Ríomhairí agus OSPS. Tá a lán obair anseo!

Tá leabharlann mhór sa scoil seo. Tá bialann agus áit shoisialta fresin! Tá mo scoil in aice leis abhainn na Life. Tá an radharc go hiontach! Sa teach sóisearach tá clogthúr, agus tá hálla staidéir isteach. Tá seomra na muinteoirí sa teach sóisearach freisin. Tá an scoil seo an-mhór! Tá timpeall sé pairceanna rugbaí thar an droichead. Tá mo scoil an-spórtiúil! Is brea liom bialann mar ceanaím scealloga ann (there)! Is aoibheann liom scealloga!

Is brea liom mo mhuinteoirí fresin! Tá gach duine cairdíuil an-seo… is brea liom Ms McIntyre! Tá sí cliste agus suimiúil! Tá a lán dathanna sa seomra ranga. Tá a lán póstaer freisin!

Mo lá tipiciúil. Tosaíonn mo lá ar a leathuair tar eís a seacht, ach Sroichim mo scoil ar a fiche tar éis a hocht. Tosaíonn mo ran-ganna ar a fiche chun a naoi. Tosaíonn mo dara rang ar a fiche cuig tar éis a naoi. Tosaíonn mo tríú rang ar a cúig tar éis a deich. Ar a ceathrú chun a haon deag, tosaíonn mo shos.

Mo Litir Nua

21

Nuair a chríochnaíonn mo shos, tosaíonn an ceathrú rang. Nuair a chríochnaíonn an rang seo, tosaíonn mo chead rang eile ar a fiche chun a dó dheag. Tosaíonn mo rang ar a fiche cuig tar éis a dó dheag. Nuair a chríochnaíonn mo rang, tosaíonn mo lón.

Tosaíonn mo chéad rang, tar éis lóin ar a fiche chun a haon. Críochnaíonn mo rang ar a fiche tar éis a dó, agus tosaíonn mo chead rang eile. Nuair a bhíonn rang seo críochnaithe, téim go dtí mo rang deireanach. Nuair a bhíonn sé críochnaíithe, téim abhaile!

Sin é mo lá ar scoil!!

Celine Dignam

Are you a coward? Well it's a known fact that Bullies are, especially Cyber bullies! Whatever about saying it to domaines face, which is still wrong but saying something using electrical items especially a computer it's always out there for someone else to see and if some particular people find it they can use it to stir up trouble. Believe it or not bullying hurts. So next time you feel like making a snide comment or giving someone a dirty look keep it to yourself ok? It's not that hard. "If you've got nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all."

...Cyber Bullying...

By Sophie Forde- Egan

22

To all the staff and students of Newbridge College; may this holy

Season of Christmas bring you peace, joy and happiness and may

2012 be a prosperous and productive one. Enjoy the holidays.

December 25th - Why?

Sarah Brightman’s carol, “In the bleak mid winter”, aptly describes the

harsh conditions that we experience around the middle of winter. It is

also the Winter solstice when we have the longest night and the

shortest day. The solstice occurs on the 21/22 December.Worldwide,

interpretation of the event has varied from culture to culture, but most

cultures have held a recognition of rebirth.

The two gospels which record the events of the Nativity, Matthew and

Luke, tells us nothing about the time, season or date of Jesus’ birth. So

why the 25th December? Nearly all the major Christian feasts replaced

ancient pagan feasts and Christmas is no exception.The ancient

Romans worshiped the god Saturn and a feast called Saturnalia was

introduced around 217BC to raise citizen morale after a crushing

military defeat at the hands of the Carthaginians. The celebrations

included school holidays, the making and giving of small presents, a

special market and much merriment.

Christmas Cracker Jokes What did the fish say when it swam into a wall? Dam.

What athlete is warmest in winter? A long jumper.

Why did the man get the sack from the orange juice factory? Because

he couldn't concentrate.

What did the inflatable teacher at the inflatable school say to the

inflatable child caught holding a pin? You let me

down, you let your friends down, you let your school

down but most of all... you let yourself down.

Miscellany

23

A Christmas Joke Just before Christmas I was shopping at a toy fair in Dublin.

I glanced to my left and caught sight of a queue at the doll counter;

they were waiting for the shelves to be restocked with Mattel

dolls. As I looked I realised that in the queue was a good friend of

mine. Knowing Tommy well I was sure that he had no daughters

nor did he have any nieces so I wondered why he should want to

buy a doll at Christmas time.

'Hey, Tommy,' I cried, 'I hadn't realised you collected dolls.'

'I don't,' he replied laughing.

'Really,' I queried, 'then you must be buying a

Christmas present then?'

'No, not at all, my friend,' responded Tommy, his eyes

twinkling merrily.

'If you don't mind my asking then Tommy,' I said,

'Why exactly are you standing in this particular queue?'

'Oh that,' he giggled. 'It's like this, mate,' he mused, 'I've never been

able to resist a Barbie queue.'

Scrooge On Christmas Eve, Alex thought it would be nice to buy his wife a

little gift for the next day. Always short of money, he thought long

and hard about what that present might be'

Unable to decide, Alex entered Debenhams and in the cosmetics

section he asked the girl, 'How about some perfume?' She showed

him a bottle costing €75. 'Too expensive,' muttered Alex.

The young lady returned with a smaller bottle for €50. 'Oh dear,'

Alex groused, 'still far too much.'

Growing rather annoyed at Alex's meanness, the sales

girl brought out a tiny €10 bottle and offered it to him.

Alex became really agitated, 'What I mean', he whined,

'is I'd like to see something really cheap.'

So the sales girl handed him a mirror.

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