Reading about Uncle Holly made for a Happy Monday

I WAS thrilled to read Carole Ann Rice’s mention of Uncle Holly (Happy Mondays, December 3). It reminded me of a time over 60 years ago when my lovely grandma took me to Lewis’s in Birmingham to see Father Christmas.

We started off from Bewdley on a bus to Kidderminster, then on a long bus journey to Birmingham on a cold, dark morning.

We arrived at the “big shop” and queued on the stairs for what seemed like an age until we arrived at a rather grand chair where stood Uncle Holly but no Santa.

It seems he had “popped out” so I never got to see him. I was so disappointed and when I tell the tale all these years later friends say: “Uncle Holly? Never heard of him.” But Carole Ann Rice did, how wonderful. Many thanks for bringing back childhood memories for a 72-year-old grandma.

Anne Witts, Kidderminster, Worcs