6 December 2019
Friday of the First Week of Advent
Thanksgiving occurred as late as possible this year, giving us a bit of a reprieve from the phenomenon of Christmas music hitting the radio sometime in mid-November. However, the shopping season is here and with it the normal of “anxiety through” the holidays. It is a curious twist of fate that the coming of Jesus, a sign of God’s love, has now been transformed into a frenzy of expectations and expense. Perhaps a quiet groundswell of correct thinking could change this pattern. We can start with the fact that Christmas begins on the eve of December 24 and concludes on the evening of January 6. These are the twelve days of Christmas, they occur after the 25th and not before. Therefore, any card, gift or greeting that falls between these two days falls on Christmas. Tell this message to all your friends. If merchants could change the understanding of Christmas, we could allow the season to be celebrated properly. Besides, you can shop the sales. So, as Paul admonishes us in his letter to the Galatians: “Stand firm therefore, and do not submit to the yoke of (seasonal) slavery.” Be counter-cultural and send your cards and the fruitcake to your friends during the twelve days of Christmas.