Sound the sleigh bells and raise the red and white alert – the health of a much-loved pop music tradition is in critical condition.
Since as long as industry number crunchers have kept score, there was one time of the year when clocking a No 1 record meant more than any other. Hitting the top spot of the weekly singles chart the Sunday before December 25 was once the most coveted musical accomplishment of the calendar. Weeks of lively media speculation played out as divergent artists battled it out for the fabled "Christmas No 1" – a tradition pursued with particular vigour in the United Kingdom.
But it was also widely replicated in pop-making territories across the globe. The magic was often in a David and Goliath battle – between a major label star or reality TV offspring and an underdog or charity cause. Hype would build steadily before the prize-fighters released their wares, on the Monday before the Sunday, waiting anxiously as cashiers clocked the week-end sales.
However, this grand holiday tradition appears to be in a sorry state of health as, much like the singles charts in general in the streaming age, the Christmas chart carries increasingly little heft: In 2018, the favourite to be declared top of the pops come Sunday is Ariana Grande's Thank U, Next – a track released some seven weeks ago in early November, with nothing festive about it at all.
The birth of a tradition
The Christmas No 1s that have endured deepest are inevitably those flaunting a festive theme – many holiday staples came ready-made with all the classic cliches of children's choirs, sleigh bells and blind, bland optimism. Even East 17's 1994 UK festive chart topper Stay Another Day had bells added at the Nth hour – despite being about a family suicide – perhaps the clincher that saw it keep Mariah Carey's more enduring All I Want for Christmas is You at bay.
The UK's famous festive battleground was first laid out in 1952 – the year the singles chart was established – but it was three years later that it welcomed the first truly festive No 1, with Dickie Valentine's cover of Christmas Alphabet, recorded a year earlier by The McGuire Sisters.
It was not a watershed moment: Despite being the era of early American standards such as Bobby Helms' Jingle Bell Rock and Brenda Lee's Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, back in Blighty, the 1950s hosted just one more overtly Christmassy No 1 – Harry Belafonte's Mary's Boy Child. Meanwhile moving into the 1960s, The Beatles managed to score four festive top spots in five years without a single sleigh bell to be heard.
A similar anti-Christmas run would bookend the holiday song’s heyday in the late 1990s, when the Spice Girls clocked consecutively un-Christmassy No 1s from 1996 to 1998. In the decades between, the holiday genre experienced its undisputed golden era.
______________________
Read more:
Baby, It's Cold Outside gets played on repeat on Kentucky radio station
Whamageddon: Will the latest song-led craze last until next Christmas?
The musicians sure know it’s Christmas: the phenomenon of the holiday album
______________________
The classic canon
While it might be difficult for any discerning music fan to admit that festive music had a prime, it is undeniable that the bulk of tunes played on high streets and at end-of-year office parties hail from a particular period. And it’s equally noteworthy that this canon of festive favourites is rarely renewed, with the same soundtrack of 1970s and 1980s holiday standards pulled out annually for as long as anyone cares to remember.
Arguably we have Slade to blame, who laid the tracks with perennial party-starter Merry Xmas Everybody (how modern that "Xmas" must have felt 45 years ago). This lucrative smash – which has surely kept lead singer Noddy Holder fed and watered ever since – topped the festive chart in 1973, inspiring a gold rush with Mud's Lonely This Christmas landing at No 1 52 weeks later. Soon after came Johnny Mathis' When a Child is Born (Soleado) in 1976, Wings' grating Mull of Kintyre a year later and Boney M's Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord in 1978 – a hat-trick of consecutive UK festive No 1s.
Cheese for good
Even the proudest musical snob can't argue with the tradition of holiday chart-toppers mixing festive cheer with kind-hearted altruistic spirit. Leading the way was Band Aid blockbuster Do They Know It's Christmas? Spearheaded by Bob Geldof, and co-written by Midge Ure, 1984's holiday No 1 brought together guest turns from contemporary stars including U2, Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, Bananarama, Status Quo, Culture Club and Wham! to create the bestselling Christmas song ever – shifting 3.8 million copies and raising more than Dh88 million to fight famine in Ethiopia.
In recent years, the UK has welcomed heart-warming fundraising Christmas No 1s including the Military Wives' Wherever You Are in 2011, followed a year later by The Justice Collective's He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother, fundraising for the various charities associated with the Hillsborough tragedy, and 2015's health service bid A Bridge over You by the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir.
Meanwhile, Do They Know It's Christmas? was reprised in 1989 as Band Aid II, featuring Kylie Minogue, Chris Rea and Wet Wet Wet, and again in 2004 as Band Aid 20, starring an eclectic cast including Bono (again), Chris Martin, Dido, Busted, Dizzee Rascal and members of Radiohead. Both bids topped the charts.
A final 2014 version, entitled Band Aid 30 and raising funds for West Africa’s Ebola crisis, featured Ed Sheeran, Rita Ora, Olly Murs, Sam Smith, One Direction and, er, Bono and Chris Martin. Yet despite this combined star wattage, following its traditional anniversary release in late November, the festive favourite failed to go the distance this time around, leaving the Christmas top spot open to a very different beast – reality TV. An era was already over.
Reality TV rebellion
The festive No 1 suffered a profound identity crisis in the dark years of 2005-2009, when the UK's Christmas top spot was dominated by alumni of blockbuster reality TV show The X Factor performing distinctly un-festive material: Shayne Ward's That's My Goal was followed by Leona Lewis's A Moment Like This, Leon Jackson's When You Believe and Alexandra Burke's Hallelujah.
It's a sign of how deeply the British public value – or should that be valued? – their treasured holiday pastime that this was enough to kick-start a fan-led protest. In a single week in December 2009 more than 500,000 punters paid to download Rage Against the Machine's 1992 profanity strewn protest anthem Killing in the Name, for the sole purpose of denying The X Factor a fifth consecutive top spot.
An attempt to repeat the trick a year later by encouraging protestors to purchase a new "rendition" of experimental composer John Cage's completely silent piece 4'33" – dubbed "Cage Against the Machine" – faltered at number 21 in the charts, leaving the trail open for Matt Cardle to restore The X Factor's supremacy. Since then Simon Cowell's monolith has produced two more festive chart-toppers, Sam Bailey and Ben Haenow in 2013-2014, bookended by the charity campaigns described above.
A frosty reception
Yet in 2018, it feels unlikely anyone would ever again be bothered to mount such a protest. The greatest challengers to Grande's likely conquest are YouTuber LadBaby releasing a cover of Starship's We Built This City. Other un-festive contenders include United States breakthrough act Ava Max's Sweet But Psycho and – you guessed it – The X Factor winner Dalton Harris, dusting off a tired cover of Frankie Goes To Hollywood's The Power Of Love. Nothing remotely festive or charitable stands a chance.
Coupled with the terminal apathy that today greets the singles chart in general – an infection contracted with the demise of CD singles, and declared terminal in 2014 with the inclusion of streaming stats on weekly chart calculations – it seems the noble festive No 1 may be another holiday tradition that’s frosted over for good.
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
if you go
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
The specs
The specs: 2019 Audi Q8
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 340hp @ 3,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20Shipsy%3Cbr%3EYear%20of%20inception%3A%202015%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Soham%20Chokshi%2C%20Dhruv%20Agrawal%2C%20Harsh%20Kumar%20and%20Himanshu%20Gupta%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20India%2C%20UAE%20and%20Indonesia%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20logistics%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%20more%20than%20350%20employees%3Cbr%3EFunding%20received%20so%20far%3A%20%2431%20million%20in%20series%20A%20and%20B%20rounds%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Info%20Edge%2C%20Sequoia%20Capital%E2%80%99s%20Surge%2C%20A91%20Partners%20and%20Z3%20Partners%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
Brief scoreline
Switzerland 0
England 0
Result: England win 6-5 on penalties
Man of the Match: Trent Alexander-Arnold (England)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
The biog
Name: Shamsa Hassan Safar
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Degree in emergency medical services at Higher Colleges of Technology
Favourite book: Between two hearts- Arabic novels
Favourite music: Mohammed Abdu and modern Arabic songs
Favourite way to spend time off: Family visits and spending time with friends
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Seven%20Winters%20in%20Tehran
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%20%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Steffi%20Niederzoll%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Reyhaneh%20Jabbari%2C%20Shole%20Pakravan%2C%20Zar%20Amir%20Ebrahimi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh135,000
Engine 1.6L turbo
Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode
Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
HER%20FIRST%20PALESTINIAN
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Saeed%20Teebi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20256%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPublisher%3A%C2%A0House%20of%20Anansi%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
WHY%20AAYAN%20IS%20'PERFECT%20EXAMPLE'
%3Cp%3EDavid%20White%20might%20be%20new%20to%20the%20country%2C%20but%20he%20has%20clearly%20already%20built%20up%20an%20affinity%20with%20the%20place.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EAfter%20the%20UAE%20shocked%20Pakistan%20in%20the%20semi-final%20of%20the%20Under%2019%20Asia%20Cup%20last%20month%2C%20White%20was%20hugged%20on%20the%20field%20by%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20the%20team%E2%80%99s%20captain.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EWhite%20suggests%20that%20was%20more%20a%20sign%20of%20Aayan%E2%80%99s%20amiability%20than%20anything%20else.%20But%20he%20believes%20the%20young%20all-rounder%2C%20who%20was%20part%20of%20the%20winning%20Gulf%20Giants%20team%20last%20year%2C%20is%20just%20the%20sort%20of%20player%20the%20country%20should%20be%20seeking%20to%20produce%20via%20the%20ILT20.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20is%20a%20delightful%20young%20man%2C%E2%80%9D%20White%20said.%20%E2%80%9CHe%20played%20in%20the%20competition%20last%20year%20at%2017%2C%20and%20look%20at%20his%20development%20from%20there%20till%20now%2C%20and%20where%20he%20is%20representing%20the%20UAE.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20was%20influential%20in%20the%20U19%20team%20which%20beat%20Pakistan.%20He%20is%20the%20perfect%20example%20of%20what%20we%20are%20all%20trying%20to%20achieve%20here.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CIt%20is%20about%20the%20development%20of%20players%20who%20are%20going%20to%20represent%20the%20UAE%20and%20go%20on%20to%20help%20make%20UAE%20a%20force%20in%20world%20cricket.%E2%80%9D%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
