The lead up to Christmas is a rush for just about all of us. Our shopping centres are bursting at the seams and our fingers are red hot snapping up festive online bargains and stocking fillers and, yes, we have all heard the pundits saying, ‘Christmas is caught up in consumerism’.
Bah, humbug, and all that!

But here’s the thing! For eleven months of the year you are usually shopping for yourself but this one month of Christmas I bet most of your shopping is to buy for someone else. You are out searching the shelves for a nice gift to put a smile on the face of a loved one, whether it be spouse or partners, mum or dad, children, grandparents or best friends. And that is a lovely thing. It’s really what shopping should mostly be about and it is not Christmas being caught up in consumerism so much a consumerism getting caught up in Christmas.

When you are out shopping you might remember where the giving of gifts at Christmas all began. It started from the wise men who came from afar to see the Infant King and Saviour who was to be born in Bethlehem. Going in they bowed down and worshipped him and gave him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.

The precious metal gold can make us think of just how precious our family and friends are to us so that we remember to cherish them and be good to them in the year ahead. The perfumed smoke of the frankincense that rises to heaven and takes up our prayers with it can remind us to put up a little prayer to God to protect our loved ones from worry and harm. And the myrrh that is used as a burial ointment can remind us of the old or lonely or dying living near us for whom Christmas is a sad time. Maybe get a wee stocking filler for them and drop it in to them and that really will be your Christmas shop well and truly done.

Prayers and blessings for a Happy Christmas and peaceful New Year,

Bishop John