’Tis the season to be jolly, so I will refrain from sharing my thoughts on declining birth rates, the UK’s productivity quagmire, migration challenges, or the increasingly strident tones in political and public debate.
Why? First, it can wait until January. And second, many of these themes are already captured, rather neatly, in the Christmas story itself.
Please excuse the considerable artistic licence below. It is Christmas, after all.
A carpenter (Joe) and his heavily pregnant wife (Mary) were required by the much-disliked head of Rome’s Unified Europe to travel halfway across the country (I bet they would have loved digital ID, initially) to be counted in a census.
Arriving late, they found accommodation options limited and of a standard unlikely to score above 6 on Booking.com or Airbnb. No sooner had they arrived than Mary went into labour.
The locals had been pushing back strongly against the UE so there was little cash available to build a hospital especially as many of the taxpayers had left to more welcoming countries. And so, Mary gave birth to a wee lad, in a stable. A stable! For a child some thought was destined to become their ruler – or as a later ruler put it, King of the World!
Fortunately, word spread quickly. Social media, Angel-style, ensured visitors arrived, including a bunch of farmers keen to pay their respects, and doubtlessly make their own representations to a potential future leader.
As the child grew, three men from the East made a long journey, on the boats of the desert, to see him. On the way, they stopped to ask the local ruler for directions to visit this future leader. The ruler was unimpressed and reportedly instructed his security services to ensure the child was “dealt with”.
Luckily, once again aided by timely Angel social messaging (this time in a dream), Joe fled with Mary and the baby to Egypt (thankfully no digital ID), arriving as refugees. Sensibly, the Egyptians did not put them up in a hotel. Instead, it’s reasonable to assume Joe put his carpentry skills to work – contributing quietly to the local economy.
In time, the child fearing ruler died. Another Angel message arrived, confirming it was safe to return home. Joe and Mary retraced their steps, no doubt relieved to finally be back where they started.
Returning to 2025, whilst it may have felt noisy, full of shouting in the press and on social media, most of us have probably had it easier than Joe and his family. Or indeed than those arriving by boat today or living in genuine war zones.
So whatever you are doing, or in my case, not doing, over the holidays, we at Polestar wish you a very Merry Christmas. We hope you find time to relax, recharge the batteries, and enter 2026 with optimism having had a happy New Year.
