Here we are with the Festive Season racing towards us!  Like death and taxes, it seems Chistmas is an inevitable process – we cannot cancel it, defer it to a more convenient moment, or wait for better weather.  Choose whether we like it or not, decide to participate or not, the Christmas festivities happen and happen on time. 

“Not ready… too many other things to do…”, I hear you mutter under your breath as you scurry off like the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland.  Or perhaps you’re sitting pretty with all your trimmings artistically in place, your Christmas cards and letters posted, presents purchased and wrapped and your catering arrangements neatly squared away, as if it’s just another day. 

Whichever one fits you, and my guess is that most of us fall in between these two extremes, occupying varying shades of grey, do you, like me, stop and wonder about this feeling of inevitable relentlessness, this “time and tide” approach of Christmas Day?

 Whilst this approach is relentless, right now it feels refreshing.  I almost hesitate in writing this, but we can be sure about the arrival of Christmas Day on December 25th.  In this sea of uncertainty, reframing, moving the goal posts and spinning the messages, Christmas represents certainty.   It is a stake in the ground, something we can plan for, time and date in the diary.  Whether you’re a Christian or not, it’s  not going to be altered by government law, its essential message blurred by bureaucrat-speak, activities blunted by over enthusiastic and inappropriate health and safety or CRB checks.

 In this respect, Christmas represents hope for me and perhaps others too. Hope that we will come through this appalling recession stronger, having learned some important lessons which we put into practise.  Hope that our political leaders in the West will will stop spinning the message, and instead represent issues honestly, clearly and realistically so that we, the populace, can understand where we stand and what has to be done to resolve the situation.  I fervently hope that out of our recent economic crisis we can build a stronger, healthier and more open way of life, weaving  into our national governance, some of those “old-fashioned” looking values like trust, collaboration, self-determintion, community spirit and customer service which I see practised so effectively at grass roots level.

 So here’s wishing you and yours happy and restorative Christmas & New Year festivities, with time and opportunity to reflect and make merry alike, enabling you to enter 2010 with the hope and a vision for a better world for all.

Advertisement