Picture the scene - Saturday afternoon at about 2pm in Tesco, Holmbush.

I was stood there with my girlfriend in one of the ten-items-or-less aisles.

In the adjacent aisle was a man who (by accident) had 15 items in his basket, five more than allowed. Shock, horror.

Okay, so we've all done it from time to time - it's not exactly the end of the world, is it?

However, that seemed to be the case for another man, stood behind him, who decided to make a complete scene by complaining that the first man at the checkout should move to another queue.

The first man stared at the second in disbelief and what happened next completely blew me away.

The man who had complained (it turned out was a policeman - or at least he said he was) suddenly started grappling with the man at the checkout and a full-blown fight began, resulting in a bloody nose and much foul language.

This all took place in front of children, elderly people (one of whom tried to break up the fight because the Tesco security guard didn't seem at all interested) and completely bewildered onlookers.

If five extra items is all that man has to worry about in a world where there are starving children and people at war, then he's a very lucky man indeed. Where is the Christmas spirit?

Goodwill to all men? Another fine display of the season of goodwill was shown yesterday in Sussex Stationers in Southwick Square, where a woman who was stood in the queue made a scene because one of the tills had to be closed so it could be cashed up.

She made a big song and dance about standing in the queue for a long time despite the fact that the girl behind the till had put up a sign stating the till was soon to close.

The woman made a few loud noises, threw the card she was buying at the girl behind the till and then went on to kick my mother-in-law out of the way as she stormed off in a huff.

The problem seems to be that people these days don't like waiting. Every second counts. Why?

Why these people need to make a big song and dance about such trivial things is beyond me.

Ho ho and thrice ho ... Happy Christmas, everyone.

-Lancashire Lad