Bling is a modern slang word for jewellery. But not any sort of jewellery. Jewellery is bling if:

　　it is big

　　it is brightly coloured

　　it is loud and tasteless

　　there is lots of it

　　it is really in your face

　　Jewellery is not bling if it is small, discreet or tasteful!

　　And what is “house bling”? For a long time people have decorated the insides of their houses at Christmas, for example with Christmas trees, holly and mistletoe. But in the past few years, some people have started decorating the outsides of their houses as well, with lots of coloured lights, illuminated models of Santa Claus, reindeer and snowmen, and sometimes even with an audio system which plays Christmas carols. This is house bling. There is a picture of house bling on the podcast website, and (I hope) on your iPod too. If you type “house bling” into the search box at flickr.com, you will find lots more examples.

　　Some people even compete with their neighbours to have the most house bling, the brightest house bling, the most tasteless house bling. House bling increases electricity consumption, and probably adds significantly to global warming and rising sea levels.

　　I am taking a short break over Christmas. I will be back in January, when Kevin and Joanne will be making some New Year resolutions. To keep you company until these podcasts return, here is Hilda Lamas. This lady sings the American National Anthem at basketball games in Texas, so – respect! But for us she sings that Christmas won’t be Christmas unless you get right back here with me. Yeah!