Christmas a turn off?

j IT'S only October and already we've had a Scrooge story thanks to Newry and Mourne Council.

It is saying it may not pay for Christmas lights at smaller villages in the district.

This is likely to be the first of a few Christmas Crunch stories pitting hard-done-by punters hoping for reason to be jolly against pennypinching officials saving money at the expense of festive cheer.

The good news, for Newry anyway, is Santa will probably buy most of his pressies in the Quays - assuming the sterlingeuro rate stays the same. j KIDS in Co Cork were going to have to bring toilet roll to school as the institution was so broke it couldn't afford any more.

Of course, the nice people at Kittensoft saw to it that the kiddies didn't have to raid mum and dad's double-quilted supplies.

You'd have to wonder with all our cutbacks if any schools up here suddenly realise they can't afford to heat the place as oil prices soar, will any good Samaritans turn up in a tanker? Maybe we'll go back to the "good old days" of kids arriving with a lump of coal or sod of turf under their arm or the teacher.

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