Christmas was made for radio!

Just before the most important meal of the year, which would you choose? The distractions of 625 lines of colour images on a flat screen of some form or another- or the beautiful sounds of the season while you get on with multi-tasking turkey basting, twiglet twizzling or wondering where you've put those batteries for the latest Christmas gadget.

Except if it's a radio, you don't even need to worry about batteries. Clockwork radio technology, pioneered by another local Middlesaxon lad, Trevor Bayliss, means that even in the remotest parts of the African bush, people can listen to a medium which delivers not just Christmas cheer, but vital education and information. Like the Bethlehem baby, self-powered technology is truly a Godsend.

In that post-prandial stupor which is so characteristic of this most special of days, many will turn to dozing in front of an admirably animated movie, or later on the thriling adventures of the Doctor who is the lord of travel through time and space. But for me, nothing does Christmas better than good old fashioned steam radio. Even if it is delivered digitally. This morning, I've made my way through four separate devices to deliver a signal that still carries "radio" entertainment. But it's to the transistors and capacitors of a wonderful old Grundig Concert Boy, vintage 1970s, that I have turned for audio company to type these few words before my own Christmas Dinner.

Whatever you're listening to now, and however, have a great Christmas- and keep listening to real radio into 2012! God Bless.