Going out with a bang- a cherry tree exhibiting a last blast of intense colour before the winds strip the branches bare. So striking, it looked more like a curtain of fire than leaves.
The season is changing quickly. There is a temptation to try and carry on as if minor things like weather and daylight shouldn’t affect our proud technology-embossed society. Central heating and electric mod cons bring of sense of control over life. Birds are changing their habits (and locations) so they are in the appropriate place at the right time. Animals (and teenagers?) may hibernate. Plants change their foliage and biochemistry; the short-lived have set seed and the old move out of the way of the next generation. Giant trees take a long-term approach and watch the passing years with hoary winter wisdom. Spring will return…
Do you ever feel a victim of the season? Without enough daylight some of us may struggle with seasonal affective disorder. (appropriately, named S.A.D.)
Virus plagues rub their tiny tentacles and rage out to afflict as many as possible. It’s almost as if our world were trying to slow us down! The harder we graft at being normal, busy, or “fit and healthy” the more we suffer tiredness and become more vulnerable.
Then it is Christmas! Yay! We typically overeat, over-indulge, over-celebrate, and over-spend.
Short days, dark evenings and colder temperatures. Deep joy. Now, I’m not in a bad mood or feeling depressed. I still love Advent and Christmas. For us in the UK/Europe, it falls in the dark middle of the winter, and a feast is emotionally and psychologically valuable. So, yes, let’s celebrate!
But do it better than our tired tinsel-and-turkey traditions. Learning to mark the seasonal changes is healthy. Autumn gave us fruit and glorious colour. Winter should give us the opportunity to slow down, rest our souls and bodies, and care for those around us. Families, friends, neighbours, and those whose lives are more fragile. Our local Foodbank is inviting donations of Christmas Selection Boxes for the children as well the vital basic foods. “Warm Space” initiatives offer comfort and a warm welcome. There are so many ways to help others and show practical love.
Advent is the season to prepare for Christ’s birth- some Christian traditions mark 40 days as special- and then Christmas becomes the climax of their celebrations. Less commercial, less self-focussed, it becomes a deep ritual of joy and hope- shedding light and warmth into the coldest days of January. Christmas becomes like a curtain of flame, marking the end of the season, and cleansing the way forward into newness. Christmas becomes a spiritual exercise of faith and love. Starting 2024 in a better frame of mind- and a deeper relationship with Jesus. Now, that’s what I call Christmas!
The Reflectionary 