The Spirit of Christmas, now £1.99

Watching Roy Wood performing 'I wish it could be Christmas every day' on the telly last night, I was reminded of my favourite Xmas hits album, or at least the one that best seems to sum up the spirit of Xmas in my secular homeland, the UK. The album in question is an in-store tape I picked up at discount shop Poundstretcher while working at one of their Nottingham branches during the 1995 festive season. As well as all the Xmas hits of note from the previous four decades of pop (Slade, Wham, East 17, Mud, etc.), the tape also included between song promo announcements, such as: "Three pairs of tartan pop socks, only 99p", or 'Breville sandwich toaster: now reduced to four-ninety-nine... Christmas at Poundstretcher." Ahhhh, The warm glow of bargain basement consumerism!