Jon Edwards contributes our Christmas blog. Jon has been a member of Shenley Christian Fellowship for more than 10 years. He used to work as a manager and consultant for an international Telecommunications company, but took early retirement after 30 years to care for his mother and write.

I love Christmas! I love the colour, the food, the magic of people showing love to one another. I even love the unpredictable weather, because, who knows, we might get a white Christmas.

Last night, I was Christmas shopping with a friend. We looked at all the possible gifts laid out to attract us; shop-keepers depend on our business at this time of year to make a profit, so who can blame them for tempting us? The hunt for the perfect presents for those we love can absorb so much of our free time and nearly all our energy. No wonder so many of us are buying on-line where we can at least avoid the problems with parking and the crowds who swirl around the shops. We want to show our love, to give joy to our friends and family so much that we can exhaust ourselves – and our credit cards.

Although I don’t now go out to work, I know the pressures that December brings. At work, there are so many things to finish off before the Office Party Season kicks in; although nowadays, those who have jobs seem so harassed that there may be no time to partying with colleagues. Lean times force economies, and Christmas parties become a quick meal or perhaps even a drink or two. Time seems so hard to find!

If, like me, you work at home, you may give our energy and strength to making the home a perfect haven for Christmas: the tree, candles, tinsel, wreaths of holly and ivy, mistletoe to kiss under. The Christmas pudding, Christmas cake, mince pies, all to either prepare – or more likely buy from our favourite supermarket. Perhaps we should have our neighbours in for coffee or plan a drinks party for our friends?

I’m not criticising any of this. It is good to spend time with others, to build a community around us. It is wonderful to have a nice home (I’m working on it, myself), to love others and to show it by exchanging presents. These are good things, but I wonder if we don’t stretch ourselves too thinly in trying to do all this. In much of the world, poverty is the norm, and even in Britain many cannot afford – or even imagine – the sort of Christmas many of us take for granted.

Some people call the month before Christmas “Advent”. For Christians, it’s the time of anticipation, of waiting, of preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus as a baby in Bethlehem. His coming is central to Christmas; so important that it is worth spending a whole month thinking about it. Even today, some people fast during Advent, a way of humbling themselves, of spending more time in prayer. 

Then there’s Christmas Day itself. Perhaps you will be woken way before dawn by excited children or grandchildren opening their presents in a flash – the ones you took hours to select and wrapped so carefully! Maybe you have Christmas traditions, like a mid-morning toast with your family, going out to Christmas lunch at a restaurant or a walk after lunch. That’s what my family do, and it’s lovely to encounter strangers and wish them a Merry Christmas. Everyone seems on their best behaviour on Christmas Day, Jesus’ official birthday, as if there’s a truce in the dog-eat-dog aspects of society.   

But Christmas Day passes in a flash, followed by Boxing Day. What am I left with? Used and torn wrapping paper, some presents I love, some I could live without (but it’s the thought that counts, isn’t it?) and perhaps the feeling that I need to eat less, drink less and take more exercise. It can feel so flat after Christmas, and now there’s 364 shopping days until next Christmas!

I am learning to stop, even in the middle of busy-ness, and just breathe in what is going on around me. To look inwardly and observe what I am feeling, to look around and see others and their needs, to look upward and see God’s love. I am deliberately slowing the pace and enjoying the anticipation of Advent by listening to carols, by taking time to remember that God came to this world as a baby, the son of a young woman, poor and not even at home, but living in a stable because of bureaucracy.  I take mental photographs of Christmas Day, recording the excitement of children, the joy of worshippers as they see the birth of Jesus in the midst of the glitz, and the compassion of God who loves us so much. I find more meaning in Christmas by connecting to the moments rather than counting the hours.

They say any great event is made up of three elements: the anticipation, the event itself and the memories it generates. For most of my life, I have been too busy to anticipate, too focused on the future to make lasting memories. If Christmas is just a day or even a month, we’re missing out. I firmly believe we need to remember that it was Jesus who was born on Christmas Day, and let that memory change us throughout the year. Then, perhaps, we will live-out Christmas in our hearts and our actions throughout the year.

One last thing: “Advent” is only the first part of “Adventure”. What started at Christmas in Bethlehem did not end there. It took that baby, Jesus, to adulthood and to death on a cross at Easter; even that was not the end of the adventure, because God raised Jesus from the dead. For us, welcoming Jesus to come and be the centre of our life can be the start of an adventure of discovering God's best for us. I encourage you remember that on Christmas Day and as we go into the adventure of a new year. Let God give you abundant life that will never end though His son, Jesus. That is God’s marvellous Christmas present to us, each one, if we will accept it. Enjoy!

Photograph: SCF Carol service 2011 (© copyright Michael Jobling)