Particularly silly this week as the main pre Christmas sales period is this week; the REAL Christmas chart is the one published on Boxing Day; those are the records which sold in the week before Christmas.

In the past 7 years times have changed so quickly; I predicted years ago that our foolish hyping of the chart had ruined it as a marketing tool and that the beloved No1 position would disappear as, eventually, would the impact of the Christmas No1.

It has.

Regarding the chart week. I agree, that a lot of gift buying will be done this week, but traditionally, it is what is No.1 on Christmas Day in the weekly charts that has determined what the "Christmas No. 1" is. It wasn't any different the previous times Christmas Day fell on the last day of the week. But, don't dispair, we have an ideal situation next year. The Christmas No.1 will be announced on Christmas Day itself.

Though your first point seems to be a new concern, your second one is an old [roasted] chestnut. The Christmas No.1 has been thought to be hyped for years, especially during the three years that The Spice Girls took the prize. Yet last year, when there was a less obvious choice, nobody thought that that was hyping.

Well I "used" the Christmas No1 story to assist tracks (anyone remember The Cuban Boys and their delightful Dancing Hamster?).

I refer the House to my Pop-I concept - a weekly music show featuring a Popularity Index - the most popular (as opposed to best selling) tracks of the past week.

How to find it? That would be up to experts (like the Marvellous Milwards).