So if you want a different kind of Christmas start thinking now if you haven't already. Here are some places you can look for inspiration:
- The EA has some ideas on how to simplify and strengthen Christmas
- Here are some thoughts from last year that remain pretty relevant
- I'll spend Christmas Day like this again
- also from the EA Simplify Christmas
- Living Lightly Christmas
- Not Just for Christmas looks like an interesting project
- Just Christmas is a great project from a local church
- Advent Conspiracy
- Buy Nothing Christmas
3 comments:
As mch as I agree with the video, and with the sentiment about Christmas, I stll have to be honest - I LOVE CHRISTMAS.
I love the carol concerts, the late night shop openings with the Salvation Army playing outside, mulled wine and mince pies with friends and neighbours, decorations, music that I only play this time of year (last year's favourite was the Barenaked Ladies' album 'Barenaked for the Holidays' - maybe this year the new Bob Diylan or perhaps Kate Rusby), giving and receiving gifts (within reason), and the chance to give thanks for the Incarnation.
I would want to distinguish betweem civil rites that can either aid or be neutral towards Christmas, and those that are symbolic of a deeper malaise. Besides - I shudder at the thought that the Puritans banning of Christmas may return!!
And nothing wrong with any of those things. There's no need to ban Christmas, but why not let the pagans celebrate Winterval or whatever and then Christians can celebrate Jesus in a more meaningful way. We can then join in whatever winter feasts we want without being confused as to what they have to do with Jesus.
But what I mean is that some of these things can become integral to the very substance of the festival. Looking at a different Christian festival, CS Lewis emphasised that Easter meant something to the young boy because it was 'Chocolate bunnies and Jesus risen'.
In a sense these things are a part of Christmas, or rather the celebration of the birth of Jesus is a part of the mid-winter celebrations that still have cultural resonance - that to seperate them out would be to lose the potential impact of them both.
I have met people who have come to church at Christmas because it is a part of "what they do" at that time of year, but have been presented with the living and risen Jesus and are now following him.
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