Chuck’s house now has a museum and a café in it. You can sip a cappuccino while imagining Jacob Marley in a corner of the room, rattling his chains at you because you didn’t donate enough money to save the trees, the sharks, and Wikipedia this year. It’s not Christmas yet, there’s still time! (If you haven’t got a penny then a ha’penny will do.)

Anywayyy, that’s where I’ll be in a couple of days — not necessarily in the house of Charles Dickens, but in the city where his former domicile still stands. Yes, the 1 2 3 O’Clock 4 O’Clock School of Rock must shutter its doors and turn off the heat for a brief winter break. We’re following that bright star in the sky and making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The city of Abbey Road and Olympic Studios, the home of The Stones, The Who, The Clash, Dusty Springfield, David Bowie, The Jam, Chrissie Hynde, The Kinks — but we could be here all day…..and all of the night.

London awaits. But I can’t just leave you empty-handed. For you non-Brits, here’s a little song that doesn’t show up often on Christmas playlists outside of the UK (at least, not in the US). I shouldn’t simply drop Roy Wood (and his band Wizzard) into your ears with no explanation, but we’ll get to his origins with The Move and ELO eventually. Let’s just say that Roy is…..unique.

Originally released in 1973, “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday” jingled it’s way up to #4 and has re-entered the UK chart every year for the past 17 years. Now the frosticles appear!

We should be back to rock around the clock with a post on either the 7th or 10th of January, depending on the severity of the jet lag and the figgy pudding. A happy holiday season to all, whichever holiday you may be celebrating, or if you’re simply enjoying a couple of days off of work and some pretty lights around town. See you in 2024!