Monthly Musing – December 2018 – Remembering Christmas

I am walking with the dog to the post box to re-post a Christmas card that was wrongly delivered to us.  It’s dark, it’s raining, I’ve forgotten my mittens and my hands are freezing.   The dog is oblivious to the dark, the cold and the rain and feels that it is his duty to minutely inspect and sniff every bush and lamp post we pass by.  Oh, come on!  It’s going to take us forever to get there at this rate!  It’s ten days till Christmas Day.  I’ve got cards to write, presents to wrap, (dare I admit it?) presents still to buy, cooking, cleaning, tidying still to do and the last place that I want to be is out in the dark, empty streets when there are a hundred and one other jobs that I should be doing instead.

We cross the road and walk down one of the streets where the houses and their gardens are lit up with lights and Christmas
decorations. It looks lovely but I’m not feeling remotely festive. I’m feeling cold and grumpy. The dog has stopped again. Oh, come on! I can see the post box from where I am standing but feel like I’m never going to get there because the dog is now trying to get under someone’s hedge. Has he no sense of urgency?

At last, I drop the card through the mouth of the letter box and we turn for home.  We’ve both got our heads down now as we’re walking into the wind and the rain has got heavier, and it’s not until we need to cross the road again that I look up.  We’re opposite the church, and the Christmas tree lights from the tall tree outside it are shining and the stained glass window is lit with a soft glow.  I forget about crossing the road and just look. And that’s when I remember. Christmas isn’t about feeling festive. It’s not about the cards, the presents, the cooking, the cleaning or any of those jobs that will always need doing. It’s about a baby.  It’s about joy, peace and new life.  It’s about a moment of stillness for those who celebrate, a moment of listening for those herald angels who have a song to sing for us. It’s about reminding my family how much I love them and it’s about being grateful for having food, shelter, clothes to wear, warmth and love.  It’s about so much more than we see on the surface or in the shops.

I don’t feel cold and grumpy any more.  The rain seems to have stopped.  And as I see the lights of home, and my husband and the girls sitting together through the window, and inhale the scent of the pine needles in the wreath hanging on the door, I remember what’s really important about Christmas, and I am glad that the card was wrongly delivered to our house.

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15 Responses

  1. Cathy says:

    What a lovely, wonderful reminder you have given us! Thank you!

  2. Orris Family says:

    Beautiful! Well said! Merry Christmas!

  3. happy hooker says:

    I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing Christmas. Thank you for sharing your world with us. xx

  4. Deborah's Blog says:

    Exactly this has been lost or never found by so many……thank you for a wonderful written joyful post…from me and mine to you and your Merry Christ Mass……..xxxxx

  5. Dorothée says:

    Thank you so much for this post which certainly speeks to all of us
    Frohe Weihnachten
    Dorle Delon

  6. Anonymous says:

    Having had a busy couple of weeks getting ready for Christmas. Thanks for reminding me to stop and reflect Wishing you and yours a very happy Christmas X

  7. Jeanette Kettlewell says:

    What a timely reminder of what Christmas is about! Merry Christmas to you and yours!

  8. Lisa says:

    What a lovely post. I'm off to church this morning to help me with that reminder��

  9. Penelope says:

    Thank you for this perfect reminder of what truly matters – such lovely comments. And thank you for teaching me to knit my first socks this year – a happy Christmas to you and yours.

  10. Lenore says:

    A lovely post Christine, the hype of Christmas overshadows the reason we celebrate, thank you for the reminder. X

  11. Linne says:

    Well, that brought a tear or two to my eyes; Christmas means so much to me, but most people I know don't feel the same way. Too much Greed & Gluttony; not enough Love and Light . . . thanks for the inspiring post! ~ Linne

  12. Gill says:

    Amen to that Thank you Christine

  13. Comberspud says:

    Love this.

  14. luluknitts says:

    A beautiful post Christine, as always. Merry Christmas…. xx

  15. Julie says:

    Love and blessings to you Christine and the family this festive season.
    Wishing you lots of happy moments to treasure and remember throughout the coming year.

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