Merry Christmas

I have never been a person for Christmas. Well I suppose I was as a child.  Easter is always more significant to me. Bishop Kelvin in his latest post has probably indicated one reason why.

I must say I am heartily sick of the whole Jesus is the reason for the season routine that I am supposed to be spouting at the moment. Let's get real! In solidarity with my distant pagan ancestors, I  have a decorated tree in the corner of my living room and over the next few days fully intend to indulge in the ancient, pre-Christian practices of feasting, giving gifts and singing carols. What's more, I will be doing the whole darned thing on the Saturnalia,  December 25. We humans had been celebrating in this way for centuries before we Christians wandered into the festivities, looked around, liked what we saw and surreptitiously forged our name on the bottom of the ownership papers. Of course it is all a load of pagan nonsense, but that's the point really.

Emmanuel. God with us. God fully present in the human condition, as much in the raucous celebration of the Saturnalia as in the witness of a peaceful sunset. As much in the worried crowds on Christmas Eve combing through the bargain racks on George St. as in the half hour of silent prayer. God is not, cannot be absent. 

It is almost a lost cause to try and equate the Christmas activities around us with the wonder of the Birth of Christ.
Our family gave up giving presents to each other aeons ago. I enjoy exchanging cards and, despite the cost, prefer real cards to internet ones. I enjoy Christmas lunch especially plum pudding. However it is now just 3 of us on Christmas day. I did not put up any decorations this year as it is pointless, no-one except the electricity meter reader would see them. The cards have been displayed.

I am flying across the ditch this afternoon to Sydney and will return on January 2nd. The forecast is not too hot but possible showers nearly every day. After a weekend of rain we now have a run of sunny days in Dunedin forecast until Christmas. I managed to garden at last yesterday and planned to spend an hour there today but it is looking increasingly unlikely. The airport shuttle is due at 2.30pm.

I would prefer to stay home and work in the garden. However I hope to enjoy Christmas Eucharist at St James King Street.  I will miss St John's Roslyn but most of my friends will be away with family anyway.  I really think we have Christmas at the wrong time of the year in the Southern hemisphere.  My doctor, who is from the UK, returned there for Christmas and said while it would be cold he preferred Christmas in the UK.

I have turned commenting off because I am leaving my beloved laptop at home and taking the hated Ipad. That was the biggest waste of money (NZ$1000) this year. I thought it would be like my Mac but have great trouble using it. I will have access to my sister's mac but not my bookmarks and passwords. I cannot find how to transfer these to my Ipad.

Enough grumbling

Merry Christmas