So this is Christmas . . .

Mal Pope is a songwriter who co-produced the film Jack To A King, about the 10-year rise of Swansea City FC

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Mal at Swansea Market yesterday with the DVLA choir.

EVERY year it seems to come around earlier and earlier. Not Christmas, although it seems Advent now starts early in November. No, I mean recording the new Everyone Deserves A Christmas charity record.

Now for anyone who doesn’t know Everyone Deserves a Christmas, it has been running in the region for a long time. Supported by the Evening Post, it started, small scale, a number of years with local MP Carolyn Harris packing Christmas hampers on her kitchen table to be given to families struggling to have a traditional family Christmas.

By the time I had been roped in, with hundreds of others, it had already become a massive logistical operation with sponsors providing funds, food and vans.

One year, as we were packing, Carolyn asked what I was going to do for the charity the following year. It soon became obvious that she wanted more. What about a record? Now to be honest with the best will in the world, and even being the dreamer I am, my next record probably isn’t going to trouble Radio 1 or the Billboard charts, but I suppose we can make some noise to bring the charity to people's attention locally and then point them to the JustGiving Page.

It got to November when I got a reminder call from Carolyn. I jumped into the studio, recorded a few carols on my own and then filmed myself singing one of them in front of agreen screen. Oh how I look back with fondness on those simple days...

What I soon realised was that if this was going to be different every year I would need to get other people invoived. Of course the easiest thing to do is turn to close friend who you have lots of dirt on who can’t say no. Someone like Steve Balsamo!!