13 Dec 2020

Tonight we are going to a local community Christmas Carol singing event. This, more than anything else, will surely start to build the excitement and anticipation of Christmas.

Surely.

Actually, for a good number of years now, Christmas has quite frankly lost the magic that it had when I was younger.

As a kid, the lead up to Christmas was awash with wonder and excitement. It wasn’t just the anticipation of getting presents, although let’s be honest, as a kid that’s the icing on the cake. It was also the decorations, the family gatherings, the special tv shows and movies that only come out at Christmas time. It was visits with extended families, it was the beginning of the school holidays so there was a double celebration. As a churchy, the music was integral to the Christmas experience. I know people get sick of hearing the non stop music, but the Christmas Carols are a big part of the lead up to the day, for me. Not so much the winter wonderland type of Christmas song, mind you.

Moving forward a few decades, and Christmas is a lovely chance to catch up with family and friends, but without that level of excitement. It’s lovely, and it involves a bit of organisation, but the overwhelming thoughts are usually of shopping centre crowds, and whether you are going to be ready in time.

We have a particular music album of children’s Christmas songs (Peter Coombes Christmas album) which for our family was played almost constantly throughout December and became synonymous with the season, but nowadays it’s lovely music to listen to, but doesn’t plant that intense Christmassy feel in my brain.

All those in the know tell me that the bubbly excitement returns when the grandkids start to get the hang of it all. My grandson is just a little too young yet, but I imagine that by next year we will be there again, immersed in the joy of watching his joy.

2020 has been an interesting year, and for a lot of people it’s impact will be felt heavily at Christmas. For those people who can’t get together with family and friends, it will be a Christmas like no other.

But joy is a choice.

Let’s enjoy this season however we can, with whoever we can.