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I have fond memories of Christmas shopping. I know people say that the festive season has become too commercialised and the focus is too much on gifts rather than the ‘true meaning of Christmas’... whatever that is.

But I have a soft spot for the romantic scenes of shopping in the winter chill, amongst the twinkling lights and in the glow of a beautiful Christmas tree.

And that is exactly what I wanted for my home town, Liscard in Wirral .

In 2014 I had had enough of the depressing tree we’d suffered with for countless years. It was always a little limp, barely with tinsel, and lights so dim they could only bee seen from close up...

But you couldn’t get close up because it was in a cage.

Our tree, as depressing as it was, was put behind bars. Of course that was for it own protection, but we will come on to that later.

In my anger and frustration I snapped a picture and set up a Facebook group ‘Liscard Christmas Lights’ - because that’s what I do when I am angry - don’t judge.

I was astounded by the response.

So many people felt exactly the same way. So many people felt we deserved better. So many were wondering how they could help, how they could change things. That was their first response.

People began decorating the cage, which was both heartwarming and hilarious. The tree was given new lights - it did look better. And there were promises of a better tree for “The town Christmas forgot” as Liscard was dubbed by local and national media.

The way people responded was amazing. Real Christmas spirit was brought to Liscard the following April with a trial run.

And when December 2015 came it was perfect. The switch on was a winter wonderland for a small Wirral town that had been forgotten about for so long. Hundreds of people surrounded our new sparkling tree, in awe at what had been accomplished. With a little effort and commitment you can change things for the better. It can be done.

Then the inevitable happened. Our tree, once more uncaged, became a constant target for vandals.

The tree was stripped of its baubles, ripped and trashed by people who must have thought it was so funny to destroy a small piece of happiness in our little shopping centre.

As a result there was no tree the following year, nor will there be this year. And who can blame the kind, wonderful people who worked so hard in December 2015?

Why would you pay for something that was going to get smashed? And why would you bring back the caged tree so we can be mocked nationally? Better to just not have one.

Liscard will never have a tree again and it is the fault of every single person who poked and prodded the new tree. Every single person who snapped a bauble off. Every single person who tore tinsel and branches. You deserve the blame.

Now when I do my Christmas shopping in Liscard I look at where the tree should be and I think about how the thoughtless actions of a small few can ruin what a community of people had worked so hard to do. By disrespecting the tree, they disrespected every person who lives in their area, their neighbours.

They know who they are and they should be ashamed. They may laugh and think I am being overly sentimental, but it is people like that who undermine the small moments of joy in people’s lives and they all add up. And that it is not remotely Christmassy at all.