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Text for the Month

“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year." 

 

Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol

How do you feel when those first mince pies start appearing on supermarket shelves? When you catch the opening notes of “All I Want for Christmas” echoing through the aisles? Or when the first Christmas lights twinkle from a neighbour’s front window? I’ll admit, it used to irritate me.

How do you feel when those first mince pies start appearing on supermarket shelves? When you catch the opening notes of “All I Want for Christmas” echoing through the aisles? Or when the first Christmas lights twinkle from a neighbour’s front window? I’ll admit, it used to irritate me.

 

There was a time when Advent – which begins in early December – was observed as a season of quiet reflection. In Orthodox traditions, it still involves strict fasting, as it is a period of preparation for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ. In the Eastern churches, fasting is an essential part of getting ready for any major celebration. Can you imagine that sort of preparation happening here in the UK?

 

As the Rector of my previous parish, one of the challenges was the flood of Christmas carol services from various livery companies in the weeks leading up to December 25th. It often meant that, right after celebrating the First Sunday

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of Advent, we’d find ourselves singing Christmas carols and marking the birth of Christ just a day or two later. Sometimes, these services even took place before Advent had officially started.

 

I experienced the same phenomenon during my time at the BBC. Like most workplaces, we celebrated Christmas well before the day itself. As someone with a religious background, it felt strange. How could we be “celebrating” the birth of Jesus before His actual birthday? And why are Christmas items already hitting the shelves in October?

 

As I said, it used to bother me, but over the years, I've softened my stance. In today’s highly secular society, I’m glad for anything that brings Jesus into the conversation—even if it’s through tinsel-covered store displays or holiday tunes on repeat.

 

The increasing sidelining of Christianity in this country is concerning, especially when it disconnects our cherished values from their Christian and Judaic roots.

 

So, to those who grumble, I say: Bah humbug to your bah humbug! Let the supermarket shelves overflow! Turn up Mariah Carey!

 

If it’s starting to look a lot like Christmas - and a reminder of Jesus coming into the world to bring us closer to Him - I say, let’s embrace it. And may God bless us, everyone!

Father Tim Handley, Vicar, St. James's Church, Sussex Gardens

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