Dear Friends,
As I sit down to write this letter, Christmas Day itself seems a little way off. We still have Advent to journey through – the preparation which is needed in order for the season to actually mean something deeper. We still have the Carol Services to attend where we will listen to the Nativity story once more. We will have the joy of sharing the Stable Service with our neighbours and friends from the area. And then, when all the celebrations are over, this magazine will still be in our homes for the whole of January.
From this perspective, and thinking about what is ahead of us, some quotes about Christmas came to mind:
Christmas isn’t just a day. It’s a frame of mind.
(Miracle on 34th Street)
I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all year long (A Christmas Carol)
Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas
(Dale Evans, American actor)
In other words, 25t December isn’t just a day which we celebrate, and then forget about until another year has gone past. Christmas Day holds a meaning which can and should make a difference as we enter 2026 and beyond. The reality which Christmas Day celebrates matters to the way we live – even more so after the tinsel, trees and decorations have been returned to their boxes. How we live out the message of Christmas continues to serve as a shop window of our Christian faith.
On 25 December, we celebrate the birth of a baby who changed the world and continues to transform lives and hearts. We celebrate the coming of the eternal Light into this often-darkened world through a man whose life and example, death and resurrection continue to lighten our path and show us God’s Way. We celebrate the coming of God into this world of messiness and grime, which happened because we needed to be shown how much God loves each one of us.
It is an exciting time for children, a family time for many, and I hope a joyous one for us all. So enjoy the run up, the day itself but also the months following. If we can see past the worldly trappings and focus on the reality of the incarnation then we will know true peace, love, joy and hope during the coming year.
May you have a blessed celebration when it comes.
with love, Liz