ninme

Interesting choice for “City Center Manager” for a city dating back to Roman times, a gem of medieval cloister architecture, and holding the world’s greatest university.

Telegraph - I’m dreaming of an austerity Christmas. By Rowan Pelling

It’s not just the lobotomy-inducing Christmas jingles and tawdry drunks in Santa hats, but the fact that this feeding frenzy threatens to obliterate the last shreds of sanctity from what should be the most innocent and joyful festival in the calendar.

I had hoped the storm clouds of the credit crunch would have one silver lining: that people might show a little fiscal restraint this year - that they would just say “No!” to the Nintendo Wii. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Christmas was restored to a 12-day celebration without a 40-day shopping hike?

I don’t entirely blame the consumers. You may think of Cambridge as a beacon of academe and architecture, but the city council increasingly touts it as “a shopping destination”.

The city centre manager said earlier this year: “Ultimately, our challenge is to ensure all those who use our city have a positive, quality experience that encourages them to stay longer, spend more and return soon.”

I was in Cambridge around the first week of December, 2001. I don’t remember it being that bad. But then I was wandering around the medieval bits, having been separated from my class after missing the earlier train, and only strayed as far as Top Shop when I was desperate for a pair of gloves. I still have those gloves. They’re perfect. Black, knit, with little rubber nubbins all over the fronts.