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 Common sense dictates that I should wish you a happy Christmas. December has dawned and Christmas has been well under way now for several weeks. So far I have been persuaded to purchase twenty sofas (you never know when you need a spare one), thirty eight turkeys, a vat of whisky, fifty Christmas puddings, a whole range of electrical goods, an inflatable Santa that stands in the corner and smiles relentlessly until Christmas day, enough wine to fill a swimming pool, a wardrobe full of chocolate, ten digital cameras, a crate of luminous snowballs that glow in the dark, a plastic Frosty the Snowman that sings Handel’s Messiah in ten minutes flat so you don’t have to listen to the boring bits, an incendiary device that explodes up the chimney to annoy Santa if he brings you lousy presents and a Christmas tree with a concealed Cuckoo clock that erupts merrily on the hour to tell me that I am an hour closer to Christmas ‘so get shopping’.
I think I shall hold my Festive greetings back for a bit longer despite more pressure to buy. It’s not that I have a problem with the commercialisation of Christmas but rather that I retain affection for the period that precedes it traditionally known as Advent..
Advent: you remember it – when little children open their calendars each day and find a chocolate egg or a sugar-coated Dalek nestling in the crib shouting ‘Exterminate, Exterminate’ as the wise men bring their gifts. Watch out Melchior and tell your mates: they’re gunning for you..
Can we do better than this as a Church? We have to go along with all the tomfoolery because the sacred and secular get wonderfully mixed up at this time of year. But we can step back a little and take stock. Advent has a big meaning so I’ll finish by breaking the word down in the hope that it might encourage us to stay spiritual as the stress increases. Here goes:.
A = Anticipation – letting the music, hymns and readings of Advent work their magic.
D = Deliberation – one day at a time. Enjoy the distinctiveness of each December day.
V = View – a keen eye on the sky, the trees, the frost on the pavement, the fiery sun, the fading afternoon light.
E = Excitement – the rekindling of delight that accompanied our
childhood. Read Dickens again.
N = Neighbours – keep both eyes open for anyone in need – especially those anticipating a sad Christmas.
T = Time – everything is urgent in December but decide what’s really important. There is a difference.
Over to you dear reader and may the spirit of Advent come a little closer to you. Oh, and by the way, does anyone need a new sofa? I can’t get in the door for them.
Rod Garner
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