Wandering Through The Land Of Nod.

A small interlude between Christmas Story Characters, in which I share some of my thoughts and feelings about Christmas.

So how is it going?  Christmas?  I’d like to hear about how you feel about it all.

Me, I have mixed feelings.  I love Christmas.  I love to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  That for me is full atonement, nothing separating us from God now.  Jesus shows us who God is, but he also shows us what humanity really is, so his birth is well worth celebrating.

I also like all the midwinter festivity.  December would be pretty grim without Christmas lights, and I like the midwinter urge to brighten our houses against the long nights, huddle together, eating and drinking and telling stories.

At our university of the third age song and story group, we learnt a song. The lyrics are by Bill Meek. It’s called I Am Christmas:

The first line is “I will sew a braid of gold on grey December’s ragged sleeve.”

I love those words. December would indeed feel ragged without a fancy hem to neaten off the year.

However, alongside all the enjoyable things, I often feel like my heart is going to break and my head is going to burst.  The cruel jagged, ragged edges of life seem much worse against all the Christmas expectations.  Personal tragedy and international violence cry out against celebrating the birth of the Prince of peace.  Homelessness, disease and poverty jars against the sugar-coated Christmas adverts.

And yes, all those adverts!  And it all starts so soon!  I feel compelled to do more, buy more and be more to make the perfect Christmas happen and I fail badly against my impossible expectations!

What’s more, the ghosts of Christmas past crowd in on me.  I remember the way it used to be, I remember old friends who I don’t know any more (I know we can’t keep up with everyone) and yes, those who’ve died seem close, but they are untouchable.  Add to all that the sense of passing time and it makes for a very intense and sometimes heavy season for me.

Still, I wouldn’t change it.  Life isn’t just a bundle of laughs and Jesus wasn’t born so that we could have a great party, even though he was a fan of parties.  He was born so we can know life in all its fulness and that includes living with unease.    

This December, I read these words by the poet Wendell Berry:

“The empire of money, war and fire

Cuts across the land.

There are in the same country

Shepherds watching their flocks.”

Wendell Berry, published in Plough Quarterly magazine, December 2025.

It reminds me that everyday goodness carries on and that reminder is a blessing.

It also links nicely to my next post!  Can you guess what Christmas story characters that will feature?

So, how does Christmas affect you?.

Wander well into Christmas,

Mandy.