Being born, shall we say, under a different star, there are no official Christmas celebrations in our house. Sure, it’s a welcome opportunity to gather the family and – being a Jewish mother – feed the assembled tribe until they can’t speak. But there’s no tree, no stockings, no exchanging of gifts.

That doesn’t stop me from being a keen and thrilled observer of the Christmas countdown. Above all, I love the palpable hum of excitement and anticipation that comes with the season; the feeling there is something uplifting to look forward to.

This year, however, that hum has been tarnished by Marks & Spencer, thanks to their TV Christmas advert fronted by Dawn French. Sure, she’s comfortingly familiar as the doughy, good-hearted Vicar of Dibley and, for the fifth year, the voice of the M&S f

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