Fifty years ago
I WONDER very much whether it is wise to make the King's Christmas broadcast a permanent institution. If King George feels he has something he wants to say to his people at Christmas that, of course, ends the matter. No one but must be glad that he should feel that. But if any persua- sion is being exerted from any quarter it is, I suggest, misplaced. It is hard for anyone to find something new to say Christmas after Christmas; even Mr. Churchill would be hard 'put to it to do that. All that is left is the fairly obvious, which we hear to repletion from every quarter in the fourth week in December. We cannot be content with that from the King; yet we are asking a great deal if we expect more of him. Having said that, let me add that I fully recognise that the first peace-time Christmas since 1938 is a special occasion.
The Spectator 14 December 1945
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