Last updated 11:25, Monday, 24 November 2008

SEASONAL. Christmas.

Not words which are easily confused, unless you are organising an art event at Tullie House in Carlisle.

Tullie House is holding a painting workshop this Saturday entitled Watercolour Winter Scenes and Seasonal Cards.

A chance to create your own “seasonal cards” at the end of November? What exactly is a “seasonal card” anyway?

Reiver sincerely hopes that someone has not decided to avoid using the word “Christmas” in an ill-judged act of political correctness, aimed at avoiding some unspecified offence to some unspecified people.

The situation is worse in America where references to Christmas are being steadily eroded in favour of “the holiday season”. In some places Christmas is in danger of becoming the festival that dare not speak its name.

Not in Carlisle, please, which should be proud of its status as “the Christmas city”.