finding meaning in the season

The tree is up, I've drunk enough mulled wine to float a small cruise liner and presents have been bought, wrapped and sent off to various corners of the globe. Yet, despite all these Christmas activities, I'm just not feeling the festive cheer this year. Perhaps I started on the mince pies before I should have and peaked too early. Maybe I'm just nostalgic about family scattered too far to join together for a nice big lunch. Then again, if I'm really honest with myself, I think I may just be forgetting what Christmas is really all about. The decorations have been up in shops for two months already and the lights on Oxford St are giant presents this year. One can't help but feel that the festive season has been hijacked to serve the interests of commercialism and it takes strong defences not to be caught up in the Christmas rush. I recently became all emotional watching a segment on The One Show that did a story on a group of school kids who had won toys on the show the week before. After acknowledging that they didn't really need more toys for themselves, they took the gifts to a local hospice and not only hand-delivered the toys, but stayed to play too. That really warmed the cockles of my little heart. And I realised why I'm not yet full of the joy of the season. So I'm banishing the thought that Christmas has become a routine of obligations. This is a time to celebrate Christ's birth and all that it means. Christmas is not about me; it's about making others know that they are loved. So, if I walk up to you and give you a big grizzly bear hug, just humour me. I'm just embracing the season for all that it means. Merry Christmas!