Christmas: Too big for one day
Christmas is a funny time of year. It can seem like something that we look forward to, or perhaps dread, for a couple of months in advance and then, when it comes, it’s over in no time at all. Christmas Day seems the pinnacle as we often try to pack so much into the day – we might go to church, either for a midnight service on Christmas Eve or on Christmas morning, we might give and receive presents, eat a big dinner, try and get in a bit of a sleep after dinner (!) and spend time with family and/ or friends. For some though the day will be one of reflection, spent quietly, but one which remains poignant, special in some way. But in the church calendar, we have a lot more than just the one day to reflect on Christmas, recognising that the magnitude of the event can’t and shouldn’t be crammed into one day. In fact, Charles Dickens, who obviously had nothing at all to do with writing the church calendar, offered an important message about Christmas (Scrooge in...