Last Post before Christmas

In concert with the rest of western humanity I have been running around preparing for Christmas. I often think that the run-up to Christmas is a little bizarre, the average person stocks up with tin after tin of sweets, turkey, gammon, cheeses, crisps, beers, wines and spirits. I often think that it resembles more the end of history than the week before the end of the year. This is known as a season of goodwill to all men, try telling that to the distinctly frazzled shoppers in Tesco or Sainsbury’s. In the western world we have lost any meaning to Christmas, buried under a welter of baubles and bows.

I want to take a moment or two to ponder the meaning of Christmas, and whilst I am a Christian I am not going to go all theological on you, rest easy. Consider though the story of the birth of Christ and you will see what Christmas should be about, for the faithful and faithless alike. It is a story of family and of time spent with that family. Mary and Joseph were the first holiday travellers, travelling from North to South of Israel, and transport then was less certain than today. Plus given the census that was the cause of their journey, one can imagine the full horrors of traffic jams would not have been unknown to them. They were travelling back to their family home, like many people will be over the next few days. I doubt whether Joseph and Mary had much family in Bethlehem when they arrived, the fact that their firstborn was delivered in a stable is a fair indication of this. However the Christmas story is one of family and love as I pointed out, and the fact that it seems that once Jesus had been born the family stayed in Bethlehem for a considerable period of time shows that they were clearly unwilling to unsettle the infant.

I think there lies a lesson for us today within that first family Christmas, it mattered not that they were left outside in a stable. They were together. It mattered not that they had to spend a longer time than they probably anticipated in Bethlehem. They were together. Surely that is a message that we should take hold of in 2007, it matters not the size of your pile of presents, it matters not how big a turkey you cook, or how many sweets you eat, or bottles of wine you drink. The spirit of Christmas is to spend time with your family, to cherish them and to take the time that the holiday affords to slow down. Most of the rest of the year we are naturally busy and we get on with our thing, and that is right. Surely it should be right though to set aside the time to show the people who mean the most to us that that is the case.

I will not now post until after Christmas, I am spending time with my family! So Happy Christmas one and all.

Christmas getting at me

Sorry, no posting for the last few days been up to my neck in paper and string, decorations and lights. I will find time for a more detailed set of posts between now and Christmas itself, this will be made easier by the fact that I finish work today so that should ease the pressure on my time!

Blogging will be light this weekend

This is mega weekend for my family, we have a big sweep of East Anglia on Saturday, up to March and Wisbech, then home via Halstead in Essex. The route up is fairly easy along the A1 past Huntingdon and along various other roads, it is also familiar as we do the Wisbech run 4 or more times a year. The route back via Essex has been planned and will take us past Bury St. Edmunds, Thetford and Sudbury, I have planned the route to involve as few road changes as possible as although I am a pretty good navigator the last thing we want is to get lost and have to negotiate ourselves around back roads.

Sunday is the annual pilgrimage to the cemetary which is a little way off so it takes the better part of a morning, plus now we swing round past my Dad’s final resting place as well which is equally a little way off. Sunday afternoon will be a lot of fun though as it is the point at which the main family home is decorated for Christmas, it is a tradition that goes back a few years that we all pitch in. I do the ceiling decorations, as I am tall, Mum and the sisters sort out the tree and the various Nativity sets, musical snowmen, Father Christmases, Angels and stuff that adorn the mantel and other lower level surfaces. So all in all a busy weekend but largely enjoyable, might not get online much so may not update here for a few days!

Mum’s are the greatest

I had a long chat with my Mum this evening, I won’t go into the details but suffice it to say that she listened more than she advised, when her advice was proffered it was sage and to the point. I am blessed with a fantastic relationship with my Mum and know that no matter what the problem, how embarrassing to me or her she will listen and be a sounding board and a source if not of advice of comfort, compassion and quiet support. I know that everyone feels that their Mum is the best but I know that in so many ways my Mum is so special to me, and there are more ways than can be counted in which little things that she does make life richer. I know also that over the next few days in the build up to Christmas she will be doing a myriad little things that will make this Christmas special. So this is a public tribute to my Mum but also to all the Mum’s who will be weaving their magic over this Christmastide.

December is just too busy

I think we should have a statutary four day week for the whole of December, there is just too much to get through isn’t there. I am neither married, nor have kids but I am finding it a struggle to get everything done in the weekends. I have hardly stopped this weekend. What with shopping, card writing, putting the decorations up, a couple of parties and then the normal weekend chores of washing, cleaning and ironing it is all a bit hectic. Next weekend will be no better, no parties but I am in Cambridgeshire on Saturday on business, Sunday is the cemetary run so visiting my grandparents grave and my late father. That is after a week that includes, meeting a friend for a drink and exchange of pressies/cards, a party, a christmas dinner and at some point fitting in a visit to my Mum who has been on holiday. I will be glad come the 19th as I am then off work until the 31st! I do have to salute those with young children as this must be a total nightmare time of year, children little realising how much effort goes into the magic!

Christmas Party

Last night was my work’s Christmas Party, held at an exclusive venue in the heart of London. The champagne and other alcoholic beverages flowed freely, probably more freely than my dance moves but there you go! The food was excellent, the venue was excellent and all in all it set in train a hectic Christmas season. I am now nursing a tincy bit of a champagne hangover, although it is nothing terrible. It certainly isn’t the sort of headache Gordon Brown is waking up to on a daily basis! Anyway blogging was light yesterday, and it probably will be today not due to hangoverness but simply the joys of the season and trying to fit 4 months worth of events into 4 weeks.

Squirrels get ready for Christmas

A friend sent me this, and I loved it so much that I thought I’d share. Well it got me into the Christmas spirit anyway!

Christmas Carols

A midweek music post for a change! I have been listening to some of my Christmas Carol CD’s and have to admit that I really like them. I am a pretty geeky classical fan so it is only natural I suppose that I love the full choral splendour of a Christmas Carol, but I have to admit that I am much more a fan of those carols that employ a fuller sound. I particularly like a good descant too, which when done properly you get a soaring angelic sound subtly displaying the full impact of a human voice. Add to that a huge booming organ and a few trumpets, timpani and a full orchestra and you have the perfect Christmas. Ooh.