Christmas

There has been a festival in winter for as long as there have been people in these northern climes. It’s something to do with the need to be close together, to keep the darkness at bay during the longest nights of the year

Handy for the early Christians, then, that the birth of Christ occurred at roughly the time of the Winter Solstice. This made the celebration of this occasion easier to introduce to the local pagans and so now we have Christmas with all of its Holly and Ivy and Yuletide logs and snow and Elves.

So Christmas was very much about the birth of Christ. Nativity plays, Xmas Mass, angels, hymns, etc... and to many, it still is.

And now? Well it’s not about Christ anymore; it’s not even about a pagan winter festival it’s all about excesses and greed.

It’s about getting drunk and eating too much. It’s about getting into debt buying gifts that you can’t afford. It’s about the office party, it’s about wearing silly hats, it’s about slapping garish decorations outside your house, inflicting your bad tastes onto your neighbours. It’s about the ridiculous talent show to manufacture the Christmas Number One It’s about the “ching-ching” of tills

However, it is also about family, warmth, laughing children and Xmas shows. About love and laughter. About tradition, Christmas pudding, crackers, Christmas trees and decorations. About lights, tinsel and music

So whichever way you wish to celebrate this end of year bash, have a good one!