A Christmas break for The Beatles

Christmas in Beatleland – LENNON BAN ON CAROL SINGERS!

THIS will be the first Christmas for five years in which the Beatles have not been working. They plan to spend it peacefully with possibly a party among themselves.

“The best thing about it this year,” says RINGO, “is that it’s the first Christmas we’ll be able to spend properly. I mean, we’ve always had Christmas Day off—but this time it’s going to be a nice long rest. Me? I’m just going to sit around and have a good time.”

JOHN LENNON, too, will be staying in town.

“We’ll probably all get together at some time, like Christmas—well, it’s just a holiday,” says John. “I never plan anything for holidays anyway. I haven’t a clue what’s going to happen in my house this year. All I know is I’ll wake up and it’ll be Christmas.”

The rest of it’s up to Cyn. It’s a woman’s time of the year, anyway. Presents for John Lennon Junior:

“I bought him a slide but he’s got it already,” said father Beatle. “He goes up and down on it. But I’m always buying him things anyway. There are a few things stuffed away in the attic which he’ll get. But Cyn takes care of it all. The main thing is, we’ll take it easy. No, I haven’t the slightest idea what we’re having for Christmas dinner! I don’t have anything to do with it. I just eat it.”

GEORGE HARRISON hasn’t decided what to do at Christmas, either.

“I’ll probably go up to Liverpool part of the time—maybe just before the real holiday—and the rest of the time I’ll just spend here. We’ll probably all get together for a few nights, and there are a few other parties I don’t intend to miss. This week I shall have to spend buying some more presents. That day we spent in Harrods was okay but we bought a lot of stuff that wasn’t exactly for Christmas.

“I love Christmas,” says George. “I got a bit fed up with it when I was about 18, but then we never really had a proper Christmas when we were away.”

PAUL will spend Christmas in London, too.

Ringo and Maureen’s son, Zak, will get some toys for Christmas. “He’s too young, really, to get much else for him,” says Ringo. By Christmas, Ringo and family will be installed in their new Weybridge home, just a mile from Lennon’s house.

Christmas carol singers will NOT be welcome near John Lennon’s house.

“The gates are being locked,” he declares. “I USED TO BE A CAROL SINGER MYSELF, BUT I DON’T LIKE THEM NOW—ESPECIALLY WHEN I REMEMBER WHAT A CHEAT AND A ROBBER I WAS,” SAID THE BEATLE.

From Disc Weekly – December 18, 1965