The Festive Season - 24 December 2010

Snow on the ground and the kids have long ago got bored with the snowmen, igloos and sledging. But that doesnt matter as the Festive season is upon us and young minds quite rightly begin to focus on what's important.

To us older "kids" we also have to be mindful of all the grown up aspects of life and the impact of redundancies, price increases and a myriad other problems the media would have us worry about. As many of us begin to adopt to the concept of belt tightening and what this might mean, Christmas has come at a great time.

What I mean by that is that it has forced us to think about what Christmas really means. It is not all the commercial aspects of the season such as retail stores simply putting up tinsle (and their prices). It is not the worry of getting hundreds of Christmas cards in the post in time; or whether there is enough food and drink in the house for visitors. This festive season is a reminder of the religious significance and how we should lead our lives. In a conversation with a vicar once I said "the ordinary man in the street does not get much chance to sin on an ordinary day". His reply was "even if you have committed no crime, sining also includes not making the most of yourself". This lean family Christmas, I will remember that.