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Has Christmas lost its sparkle for you?
Does the thought of Rudolph and Frosty make you cringe?
I have to admit that I was nine (SO OLD?!) before I realised
that Father Christmas was in fact my Grandad in an oversized
Baby-Grow (not a pretty sight). It was then that Christmas
began to lose some (well perhaps a lot) of its mystery and
excitement. My sceptical view of Christmas now sees through the
advertisers who exercise their skills in selling the
unnecessary and always expensive merchandise. Family and
friends, including myself, pay off the guilt for ‘things
undone and things best left unsaid’ by purchasing hollow
gifts and cute cards. Inadequate substitutes for the gift of
‘ourselves’. Glib songs relentlessly ring out
released expectantly for the season proclaiming ‘That all
I want for Christmas is YOU!’. Rather than the true
message that: Today in the Town of David, a Saviour has been
born to you. He is Christ the Lord.
How can we break free from the pressure of society which would prefer to obliterate the gift of Christ’s Birth as the ‘real reason for the season’?
As we decorate our homes, let’s try to leave room for the stable and the manger, remembering that the only fairy lights then was the Star of Bethlehem (can you imagine that ever fusing?).
Our Saviour continually invites us to accept His free gift of eternal life, batteries are not required. By focusing on Christ, the Old Man can remain stuck up the chimney (sorry Grandad). Rudolph can drink his sherry and we can learn to forgive those aunts for the presents which are never quite what you wanted. After all, in York, we can always find a use for home-made multicoloured bed sox!
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Last modified: 25th November 2005