A Winter's Tale

Dear Chums,

I share Eric Pickles concerns regarding the necessity to call time
on the pagan assault on our most christian of christian festivals.
It really is 'snow' joke.

Cutting the rotund and jocular figure that I do, I fear these
changes may see my regular seasonal employment as Father Christmas
under threat,leaving me little time to cut down on the necessary
pies, puddings and Victoria Sponge to attain a jack frost physique.

In order that I may add my weight to Mr Pickles efforts, please can
CLG supply details of the research on which his campaign is based.
I would also request a list of the Councils CLG have identified in
2010 who have removed or intended to remove the word Christmas form
their festivities and replaced it with Winterval, Lumnious, Winter
Lights, Festivus, Bauble-icious, Ice To See You, to see you ice,
Turkey Twizzle or any other un-christian alternative nomenclature.

I would also like information on the financial and other resources
rightly invested by CLG to write , promote, deal with enquiries (eg
press and FOI) on, this timely, original and relevant seasonal
non-non-story.

Yule Sincerely,

Derek Tickles

Dear Chums,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of
Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Department for
Communities and Local Government's handling of my FOI request 'A
Winter's Tale'.

I am deeply upset that my request has been declared vexatious. I am
trying to simply discover those councils that were not going to
call Christmas Christmas. I supplied some alternative names that
they may or may not have decided to use. You suggest these are
fictitious. I must say I probably agree and that my dear friend is
the key tenet of this request. Uncle Eric was spinning stories!!

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is
available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/a_...

Yours in faith,

Derek Tickles