Christmas 2021

Merry Christmas! It’s the middle of the afternoon on Christmas Day 2021 that I write this. It’s such a pretty day. Outside, we can still hear birds having long conversations. Loki’s blissfully sleeping on my leg, which is his preferred pillow. My dad’s snoozing after what he called a really good lunch. It was sumptuous, indeed! I’d ordered the meal from a trusted caterer. Boy, did they deliver! 

It strikes me as odd that I even have time to write a blog this Christmas Day. I’m not scrambling to catch a nap before the next visitors come. That’s because this year, we’re not hosting anything. It’s been a very quiet Christmas. No Christmas tree or decorations up at home, no guests arriving over the week, no heavy duty cooking or baking, no rushed shopping trips with long lists in hand. No to so many of the usual things I find myself doing. I’m recovering from surgery. My recovery is going amazingly well and I’m feeling rather chirpy about that. I feel more like me and I am so grateful to God for this, even if it has meant that the festivities haven’t happened. 

My doctor very kindly agreed that I could attend a few things. “Please don’t accept every single invitation,” she pleaded. I listened. Friends are surprised at my compliance. A few have said so too! I’ve only accepted two invites. One was for a lunch organised by one cousin yesterday, on Christmas Eve and another will be for a second family gathering next week. I think I’ll do some baking for that. If I’m honest, I was relieved to be able to accept these invites. I am an extrovert and I need people. I was feeling deprived of company! Maybe I shouldn’t have sent my cousin the silly photo of me with my face covered in gook. That’s stuff that can be used to blackmail me. Dang it! But it was demonstration of the boredom that was setting in. I miss being out and about! 

Saying this, I must say that the quiet has not been spectacularly bad. It has given me time for a few things. It has given me the head space to share time with friends going through different things, which make Christmas very difficult or stressful. It’s been a privilege to share in their lives. Their tears, their anxiety and many other feelings are precious to Jesus. And for once, over Christmas, I was able to spend this time sharing in these things, instead of worrying about whether I got all the ingredients for my fruitcake or whatever was going on in the kitchen. As fun as baking and cooking is, these moments of getting to share in lives of others has been the far bigger blessing. 

This quiet time has also meant that I am not exhausted from cooking, baking, cleaning, shopping, gift wrapping, etc. That has been pretty amazing too because I’ve been able to really follow the advent devotions. It may sound trivial, but even though I have always followed advent devotions, I’ve done them hurriedly. The prophets Micah or Isaiah, among others, haven’t always been as interesting as some of the things I’ve had to do. I must really say that I am utterly disappointed in myself that it has taken me a recovery period to realise this. What have I been thinking? This year, every day of advent was magical because I wasn’t in a rush and could ponder on the various readings. I am convicted. There is nothing better than God’s Word. It provides us with glimpses into who He is and it’s so very overwhelming when we get a glimpse. He is so real. He is so beautiful. He is the light. 

This Christmas, I have learnt a lot. I’ve learnt how stupid I have been to get caught up purely in the festivities. I have not chosen wisely, and for this, I am disappointed in myself. I’ve learnt that it is okay to walk alongside grief, anxiety, pain and a whole host of other less festive circumstances during this season. It has been good to share in the lives of those around me. I have also learnt that it is imperative that I always choose Jesus no matter what. So whilst I’m not advocating an end to festivities, I think I must choose to have time with Him and ensure that He is never crowded out. The lessons on advent have spoken into brokenness, darkness and pain. They speak of light shining into darkness and hope amidst despair and desperation. I am so grateful to the Lord for showing me this advent and Christmas how He came to heal all the this. The celebrations will be there when He returns again. But whilst I’m still here, I must always be ready to speak and live out the message of Christmas with those around me who are struggling or burdened. They truly are precious to Jesus. It is to reverse all this brokenness that He came. That makes for a very Merry Christmas!