Whatever Happened To Christmas Eve?

I have to work until lunchtime today where I’m also waiting for the ‘not looking good’ guaranteed delivery before Christmas from Virgin wines. I ring Mr Branson and they tell me it’s on its way but their tracking system is down so they can’t tell me where exactly it’s on its way to. Basically, they have no idea where it is.

Later we run the kids over to Derby to spend Xmas with their father and drop into work to pick up the wine... which has surely been delivered by now. Nope.

In the evening, we head into Nottingham to celebrate Christmas Eve, always one of my favourite nights of the year. We pop into Scruffys for something to eat and have a cracking meal. They have a new chef, well worth checking out, and a couple of Rosy Noseys. Then we decide to move on and tour the pubs. Big mistake.

So to the Ropewalk, nope shut, Hand and Heart? Shut. What’s going on? We walk through town. The Gatehouse? Shut. Broadway? Shut. Blimey. Loads of other pubs... shut. Langtry’s isn’t but we don’t linger because the Keans Head will be open surely... it is, and it’s busy. Relief. Then as we attempt to get served, they tell us, sorry we stopped serving at 9pm. What? They’re closing now. No! On go on then as it’s only five past, have a pint. Meanwhile other people are flooding in, relived to find somewhere open and they all get turned away. This is so weird.

We move on again. Cock and Hoop, shut. We try the Pitcher and Piano, open but ugh. The Bell looks open but let’s check out Wetherspoon’s Roebuck, must be... it is and staying open until late. We have a couple of Mickelemas’s, then move to the Bell… which is now shut. We really should have stayed at Scruffys, top place, the new owners are trying to build it up, they’re open and we deserted them. We pass the closed Hand and Heart again and notice that next door the Hawksley is open. We go in, it’s our first time in there but beggars can’t be choosers. It actually not bad, although a bit of a price shock after the cheapness of Wetherspoons.

Whatever happened to Christmas Eve? True, we haven’t actually been into town on Christmas Eve for a few years, probably five or six years, and perhaps last time we did it wasn’t what it used to be. Though, before that, back in late 80’s and throughout the 90’s we toured the pubs and usually hit Rock City afterwards. It was quite a night out and probably the biggest night of the year bar New Years Eve. So what’s gone wrong?

With buses and everything stopping around 8pm, people can’t get I suppose. Though it seems odd to me that private bus companies don’t want to run buses on Xmas Eve, they’d make a killing, except it would take years now to build town up again.

Then again, perhaps its best that this is the one night of the year that town is not in vogue. Because it seems tonight is the one night that your local can guarantee to be rammed and apparently they all were again this year. Those pubs do need all the help they can get these days.