The upheavals of adolescence silenced 'A Christmas Carol' for a few years. I became a firebrand atheist. Christmas - humbug! Too commercial! Then I became an agnostic. Christmas was a pro-forma affair basically a chore. Buy mother a book dad a new tie my brother and sister small gifts. Pretend thanks for the fountain pens and shirts I received.

Let's stop pretending we can arrest our way to safety and security. Despite all the fine work that policemen and women do we have got to find other solutions to deter crime.

Can I just say here how much I hate the word 'pamper'? While pretending to celebrate and indulge women it actually implies that their bodies are so revolting that even their 'me time' must be dedicated to turning them into living dolls if potential suitors are to be prevented from running screaming in horror.

Women can go on marrying and pretending that their boyfriends and husbands are Mr. Darcy or some RomCom dream man. But where's that going to get 'em? Besides divorce court?

A man who pretends to understand women is bad manners. For him to really to understand them is bad morals.

She belongs to a race of delightful women who never do any harm whom everybody calls good and who are very severe on those who do not pretend to be good.

I came all this way for a reason. Today is the day of salvation. Trust Jesus to save you. Then be sincere as God knows a pretender.

Acting is a nice childish profession - pretending you're someone else and at the same time selling yourself.

It is not good to see people who have been pretending strength all their lives lose it even for a minute.

I had fun pretending to be a sportscaster. People always think that was a down thing for me. I had the best job in sports broadcasting for two years.