It’s that time of the year again when the only words that start crossing our lips are the ‘C’ word. Or the ‘F’ word!

Christmas and Flu !

Your conversations may be running like this…… What are you doing for Christmas?

What would you like for Christmas? What shall we eat at Christmas?

Have you got the flue?

Etc ….

Our minds and eyes are saturated with adverts, Black Fridays, bargains, countdown

Pressure , stress.

I read a recent article in the guardian about those who start preparing early for Christmas and put their decorations up early do so, according to a psychologist , because it’s feeds their inner child and fosters and reminds them of warm, secure happy feelings of childhood Christmas’s.

Apparently those who adorn their houses with outdoor lights and flashy Christmas figures are deemed friendly by their neighbours( probably because their neighbours benefit from the illuminated array).

I recently went on a little visit to the Geffreye museum, the museum of the home.

Their home sets have been set up for Christmas time showing us how Christmas traditions in the home have developed over the decades and centuries.

As Christmas developed and as people became more affluent so Christmas has become more complicated, more materialistic, with great expectation attached to it!

It made me think about my likes and dislikes of Christmas, because after my museum trip I went to the vast shopping centre called Westfield, designed to encourage us to shop for hours until we drop, it is the museum or stadium of the age of materialism, Black Friday frenzy and Christmas craziness and is alive and kicking !

I began to compile a list of likes and dislikes of Christmas, yours may be similar it may be totally different but I thought if I work to the likes and manage the dislikes surely it would make the season more enjoyable.

Likes….

Christmas films, music, kids films, baking cookies, making cards and decorations with the kids, any kids, dressing up, wearing singing flashy tree badges, ( arranging my daughters birthday celebrations on the 21 st ) cooking, baking and wrapping gifts , spending time with family and friends. Long casual walks in the frost. Catching up with old friends. Helping those in need. Carol singing.

Dislikes…..

Trudging around shopping malls getting hot sweaty and frustrated. Extracting present lists out of my family, watching people get crazy over Black Friday, exhausted and stressed over all the arrangements, working through my to do list. Watching people living on the streets who are cold and hungry. Thinking about children living in poverty.

This helps me focus on what’s important not what’s not important.

Then I start to consider what is it all about , reminding myself about the true meaning of the festivities , the history, the relevance it all comes down to belief and faith.

If you are a Christian believer then Christmas is a celebration of the birth of your saviour, if you are not a believer then it’s a celebration and a season of goodwill to everyone.

It is also a time of reflection, thinking about the past year, how did I do? Or perhaps you would rather just brush it all under the carpet, have a swig of something strong and get on with it!

However and whatever is your habit or ritual or thinking.

I would like to encourage you to take a moment, as they are ticking away quickly , consider those who may not be with you this Christmas, either passed away or just travelling or living far off.

Consider what is important and who is important to you, you may feel an urge to call up an old friend or mend a fractured relationship or reach out with an olive branch to someone.

As we sit down to feast on turkeys or vegan nut roasts let us consider our world and those around us who may be lonely, shut in, sick, in poverty, enslaved or displaced due to conflict and war.

You may even feel able to extend hospitality to someone or a family who will spend Christmas alone or in poverty.

If you are secure , fed, happy and healthy well thank goodness and raise a glass for the reason of the season, his name is Jesus Christ, he is the saviour of the world, it may not look like it at the moment but things could be a lot worse !

I just want to share with you a little simple prayer I wrote a few years ago for my husbands Christmas book ( Humpty Dumpty is damaged goods by CP Lewis) it’s available on Amazon kindle.

Dear Lord Jesus,

I really want this Christmas time to be special and meaningful. I love all the lovely things about Christmas.

But I’m sorry if I’ve missed the person of whom it’s all about, Jesus.

Thank you that it’s you we celebrate. Help me to know you more this Christmas time. And let me not forget you as the years roll by.

Remind me that you are always with me. I ask for your help and forgiveness . I ask for your presence to fill me with joy and peace at this Christmas time now.

Amen

So when you find your self saying the C word or the f word remember it’s about Celebration and Friends , Carols and Family, Crackers and Films but most of all about the baby in the manger who came into the world for each one of us.

From one pearl to another

Happy 🎄 Christmas