Christmas newsletters are funny things. I sat down to write this December Lowe Down – traditionally the one where I sum up various major 2024 events, etc. – and thought the best place to start was Miranda Hart. She hit the British headlines this year: not only did she publish a book (I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You – it came out the same day as Boris Johnson’s Unleashed and she quipped that the titles ought to be swapped), but she also – more importantly – got married! I heard the news and instantly sent these texts to one of my best Wymondham pals:
“MIRANDA HAS GOT MARRIED” (11:35am)
“Sorry – followed by normal words like, ‘hello, how are you doing and how’s uni?’” (11:36am)
This friend amusedly wrote back and said that other devout Miranda fans from our Sixth Form days had got in touch too. “Miranda fans unite!” In all seriousness, after the hilarity and happiness she has brought to so many people through her work (watching the Miranda Christmas special is a yearly tradition), she wholeheartedly deserved to find happiness herself. Those after a Miranda fix should watch her show and see her performance as Miss Bates in the de Wilde adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma – which has many festive scenes.
But another reason I thought of her is that she perfectly satirises end-of-year Christmas newsletters. In the second Christmas special, her fictional mother – played by Patricia Hodge – is furious at the smug, pompous perorations from her relatives’ Christmas newsletters and is consequently dismayed that all she can think to write is “Miranda’s a fat temp”. (Harsh - because the audience of course loves her!)
“Miranda, I’ve got another ghastly Christmas newsletter.”
“And hello to you Mum – Christmas cheer.”
“Stop it – we’re British, sober, and no-one’s going to prison.”
However – let’s give it a go anyway. 2024 has been wild, not always for the happiest of reasons. War rages in the Middle East. Climate change gathers pace at a rate even the West now cannot ignore. And it’s been a hefty year for elections: the UK general election, the UK Tory leadership, and most recently, the US presidency. It is a bit hard to know what to say when faced with that.
Of course, some good things arose from those – Wymondham got our fabulous new MP, Ben Goldsborough, who spoke to us for the magazine when he got elected. It’s depressing that this is one of the most refreshing things about him, but it is worth saying: many things he pledged to do in that interview have since happened. He told us he wanted to work with Wymondham High; that has since happened. He got the ball rolling by meeting the head and several students, discussing (among other topics) the SEND crisis and the importance of the arts, both issues he told us he planned to focus on. He also told me he planned to set up telephone surgeries to make it easier for full-time workers – he has since done that multiple times with great success. Proof we are in good hands as 2025 rolls on.
2024 also saw the death of Dame Maggie Smith, among many notable people. Smith was incredibly inspiring – she spent most of her career doing stage work, and then in her 60s and 70s, starred in Harry Potter and Downton Abbey and was catapulted into international recognition. Proof that it is never too late in life for anything. She quipped that many people thought she had never existed before Harry Potter. As iconic as she is in both of those, you are missing out if you haven’t seen her in Murder By Death, Death on the Nile, and Evil Under the Sun. She is hilarious in all of them. She will be very sorely missed.
There seems not much more to say than Merry Christmas to all Wymondhammers! (If you celebrate Christmas.) Here’s to everyone who did GCSEs and A-Levels this year, in particular. Life is often far too complicated to summarise in a single bulletin - as Miranda Hart’s sketch epitomises beautifully - but Christmas provides a constant. Whatever your circumstances, whether you’re alone or navigating several large-family-meetups (both have their merits, as we all know!), we at the magazine hope you have the best time possible. Cheers - and let’s hope 2025 has some ups as well as downs.
"Miranda Hart: Actress, Writer and Stand-up Comedienne _MG_9620" by rodwey2004 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Click here to view a copy of this licence.