Deck the halls with boughs of holly,
Tra la la la laaaa, la la la la.
‘Tis the season to be – well, a bit
overwhelmed and grumpy, actually, since you ask. Christmas cards, presents,
food, decorations, remembering a thousand and one things for school, the same
annoying Christmas songs being played on the radio over and over again – a few
days before Christmas, my mind is whirling, I’m tired, and I just want to lie
down on a comfy sofa somewhere in front of a fire reading the Christmas Radio
Times and nibbling on chocolate tree decorations. Is that really so much to
ask?
This week in particular, I’ve felt that
I’m in a vortex. I know that the world won’t come to an end if I don’t get all
my Christmas cards done and put my clean clothes mountain away, but the
knowledge that my to-do list is getting longer by the minute as time races on
is gnawing away at my sense of contentment.
I’m cross with myself for feeling like
this because as a Christian, I don’t believe that this is how Christmas should
be. These past few weeks, I’ve had glimpses of peace and joy and compassion
shining through all the noise and bustle. Sitting at the candlelit carol
service on Sunday, I sang the words that promise peace on earth, the fulfilment
of prophecies, a baby born to refugees in a busy town, starlit streets. No
mention of tinsel or snow or elves, on shelves or elsewhere.
I’m a member of the ACW, a fine
organisation which, amongst other things, sends me an email every morning with
a blog written by one of the members. A couple of days ago, this was by
Georgina Tennant, a writer I admire enormously. She wrote wittily and movingly
about what she calls Expectation Management. With her permission, I’m quoting
the first two paragraphs which had me sitting up straight and shouting, “Yes!”
at my laptop screen.
“My friend and I have coined a term which
is helping us to navigate the ups and downs of family life – Expectation
Management. We remind each other of it frequently, particularly at times when
our expectations are in danger of running away with us. We look forward to
special days, birthdays, Christmases and holidays – but it is dawning on us
both that Expectation Management is essential for these times.
The trouble is that we are victims of our
own high expectations as we envisage the most wonderful of days, our Mary
Poppins-like selves swirling and singing amongst our children, offering them
home-baked wares and fun without ceasing. They, in turn, will listen to every
sweet-sounding word we utter, offer their siblings first choice in all things and
skip home, to head straight to bed with no need for toenail cutting, three
extra drinks, five snacks and seven stories. Reality, as you can well imagine,
never matches up – not even nearly.” You can read the whole blog here:
And there it is – nothing matches up to
those high expectations. Perfection in all things is a message which is hurled
at us the second Bonfire Night is over. The right presents, wrapped
beautifully, the perfect Christmas dinner served to a harmonious group of
family and friends, rosy-cheeked children, tidy house and so on and so forth.
Everything will be all right, we’re assured, as long as we buy lots of stuff
from the correct shop.
I am in danger of sounding a bit
Scrooge-ish. I love Christmas. I love being with my family. Presents are great
and I even like some Christmas songs. But as we come to the end of 2019, here’s
my resolution. No more being bamboozled by the wrapping paper and ribbons. Look
at what lies beneath.
A very Merry Christmas to you all!
Images by Pixabay
