Confession: I’m not really looking forward to Christmas.
I’m not sure if that’s because my childhood Christmases were beyond magical with amazing food, a beautifully decorated house, a heap of presents, and a whole day of family harmony. And as an adult, I’m the one who now creates all that, which is not quite the same! Making this season beautiful is a big pressure that I don’t have the energy for.
Or perhaps it’s because I’m just not in the most joyful season of my life. Things are challenging. The winter darkness feels like it’s seeped into my very core and doesn’t have any intention of going anywhere any time soon. The expectation that this season should be happy, happy, happy is just too much.
So this Christmas I’ve decided to dive deep into the real meaning of the season. Before the perfect tree, the big Christmas dinner table, the beautifully wrapped ‘I know you so perfectly’ gifts. Because under all that is the first Christmas, which was a stark contrast to our Western expectations. It was dark. It came to enslaved people living in poverty who were really struggling to hold on to hope. And it turned their lives upside down. Just not like a Hallmark movie…
Over the next 24 days, I want to explore the story of their people. To allow myself to let go of the present pressure to be happy, to be ‘ready’ for Christmas, and instead inhabit the darkness of their existence. And to look for the glimmers of light in the darkness that kept them going.
You’re very welcome to join me for the journey.
Susie lives in NE Fife and works in ministry. She loves being with friends, feeding people and half finished creative projects.
