Tag: Christmas

Mary did you know? (Aka The Christmas post)

Posted on by Han_A

Merry Christmas, everyone!

It feels like the day, although marked on many calendars, has come by surprisingly fast, hasn’t it? Minus all the obvious things that make the season special, I always find its uniqueness amplified by the quiet. Especially in a massive city like London, because public transport comes to a standstill many places become eerily silent, as people resort to sticking behind closed doors. I say quiet, but perhaps peace is a more accurate word. It’s a positive quiet. One that stills the heart and eases the mind – even if unusual and strange to the ears at first.

This Christmas as I read about the origin of the season in the New Testament, I take my mind back to the nativity scene. We see lots of artists’ renditions of this popular scene, who have themselves throughout time tried to recapture the magic. And although many are beautiful in nature, glorious even, they probably still fail to capture the magnitude of every bit of magic present at that moment.

Luke 2:19: But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart (ESV).

Imagine, the stable is dark is slightly smelly with farm animals groaning in the background, probably slightly confused at these strangers they’re being forced to share their territory with. Spots of moonlight shine through and work together with the odd lantern to create a close-to-home atmosphere for Mary and Joseph. Amid all the slight chaos, Mary looks longingly at Jesus with so much love and awe. He coos gently, simmering down after intense crying and the music of his voice is likely strong incense filling the room, even captivating the animals who are observing from a distance.

I love the verse above about Mary from the book of Luke which has stood out to me in the last week. I’ve seen a glimpse of someone I know looking at her firstborn as she was rocking her in a pram and if pure love could be freezeframed, that would be it. Similarly, Mary is tired and likely in pain but trying desperately to savour every moment of that night since she knows it’s the start of something life-changing – not just for her, but as she’s been told by an angel, for the whole of humanity. Her heart is full of joy, vibrating at the seams – unsure of what will happen next but also excited to see future events unfold.

Praying that your day is full of joy and happiness, wherever you are this Christmas! 😊

*Photo by Árni Svanur Daníelsson on Unsplash

The (belated) Christmas Post

Posted on by Han_A

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas! 🎄😃

Christmas is losing its spunk. Or so, that’s how it’s been slowly starting to feel over the last few years. Originally when I started to think this, I thought ‘surely not’, maybe it’s just a one-year thing, so I pressed the thought down and tucked it away. Kind of like a teen would do when tidying their room – stashing their clothes into a brimming wardrobe and slamming it shut, hoping they won’t have to open it again and experience the cascade of clothes that would occur if they did.

Lovely modern Christmas tree spotted in South London by moi

I suspect, at the root of this feeling is a fruitless comparison to the Christmas days experienced as a child – where it was a holiday that dripped with anticipation. I would watch fun films or bring toys into school to play with, eagerly open my chocolate advent calendar in the run-up to that day and help my dad set up the tree and streamers across the living room. My family would collect Christmas cards like Pokemon cards, often eventually running out of space in the house to hang them. Presents were always an expectation, as is still the case for many children today. I would religiously make lists of what to get each of my closest friends and would also sift for ages at a time through the Argos catalogue to create a present wishlist of my own for my parents.

Nowadays, the holidays aren’t too consumed with presents for me – I typically buy myself one or two gifts to get into the spirit and may also give gifts (if I can) to selected friends. We don’t really bother with a tree and decorations anymore so it’s simply an occasion of Christmas tunes, food and music now. To be fair, I don’t mind having Christmas this way that much, I think my celebrations are less consumer-ist focused now which means I can properly appreciate what matters most  –  family time, ending the year on a high and most importantly, for me as a believer, the significance of Jesus’ birth to [the fate of] humankind (John 3:16).

Thinking about all of this recently it was therefore profound to see this tweet which talks about dwelling less on the Christmas of our childhood and creating a new reality of Christmas which fits our current lifestyle and expectations as adults.

I think there’s an important point to be made there since otherwise, without making a deliberate choice to create this new reality, we’ll always be comparing Christmases that have passed to Christmas now and we’ll always be disappointed.

Who knows, perhaps when or if I have children I’ll change my tune and insist on Instagram-worthy Christmases every year but for now, this is where I stand.

The Pursuit of Happiness

Posted on by Han_A

It’s funny how your laughter often sounds

Like the language my heart would speak

If with each beat it could scream

I love you.

I hope you had a good Christmas, all! 🙂

Would it really be Christmas season without the obligatory Christmas themed post? I think not, so here we are.

I think it’s really important this holiday season that we allow ourselves to be happy. I read a tweet, recently and the person who posted it said although it was her mum’s birthday all she could think about was the thousands of people who lost a parent to COVID-19 and were celebrating their first Christmas without them. The tweet was a saddening read but one that accurately reflects what most people have probably perceived to be the sentiment for this year, which has undoubtedly been a tough one. With all the loss and anxiety caused by the virus outbreak, it does almost feel quite like quite a distasteful move to allow ourselves to be happy, despite the occasion calling for it.

However, I think we must at least try, even if it just means finding happiness in the small things, whether that be from a random ad jingle, the sound of your knife and you butter your toast or the softness of your pillow as you lie to rest. The way finding happiness looks has been different this year – we’ve had to be more creative to find ways that help us relax, refresh or escape. For example, for me I often love to watch theatre productions or films in the cinema. This year has meant having to adapt; I’ve found pleasure in organising group Facetime calls or going for chilled afternoon walks with my neighbour. (And this is being said by someone who typically dislikes calls and feels no shame in taken the bus one or two stops is needed.)

There is a blessing in every minute we have, perhaps we should invest more of those minutes on being happy. In the moments where feeling happy possible it gladdens the heart and keeps us going which, let’s be honest, we’re going to need as we approach the new year.

What activities have you turned to for happiness this year? I would love to know!

Post-Christmas Stress

Posted on by Han_A

Howdy Guys!

Image
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree…

Hope everyone had a happy Christmas and if you didn’t…look on the bright side, you’re alive and that’s a lot to be grateful for in itself! 😛 In the meantime, Christmas is over and New years day is getting closer and closer, which is good news for Sherlock fans, such as myself, who are practically counting down the days till the new series starts. Overall, this Christmas I was quite lazy to be honest, I didn’t really bother with cards and gifts, as I used to. Heck, I even missed the boxing day sales.

I haven’t blogged  for a while, although, in my head something’s been nagging me to do so- plus, now it’s the holidays I don’t think I have much of an excuse..so here I am 🙂

I watched a film called ‘Children of Men’ yesterday which was quite interesting. Widespread infertility has occurred on a global scale. Britain has become a military state and the main character (Clive Owen) has become responsible for taking care of a pregnant African women (Clare-Hope Ashitey) and leading her to a sanctuary called ‘The Human Project’. I didn’t watch it from the start but as I was watching it got to a point where I just wanted to change the channel. Not because it was a bad film or anything but because I could not see a happy ending for any of the characters and it was starting to depress me. Apart from that, I enjoyed it; particularly the one part where in the midst of flying bullets and bombs everything came to a standstill and the soldiers created a path for the woman, her baby, Clive Owen’s character to pass through. Some of the soldiers even bowed and made the sign of the cross, which made me think of the Nativity. Other films I’ve watched are: We need to talk about Kevin, Pleasantville, One Day, Jane Eyre,The Magdalene Sisters and The Vow. Programs of the Month: Real Husbands of Hollywood (BET) and Breaking Amish (TLC). Eastenders has been entertaining every now and then.

Went to a buffet earlier today in Kings Cross called ‘KItchin N1’. When we arrived (after some hard searching and a lot of squinting at the google maps display on my phone) the place was…empty. Walking in to the empty restaurant I nearly laughed (in my head,of course) because earlier the other day I was actually considering reserving a table on the website. Thank God I didn’t because there clearly wasn’t any need for that. Buffets in themselves are a true test of strength, I think its safe to say they’re like drinking games…but for the stomach, not the liver. I usually get through an average of 2-3 plates before I surrender. Hey! Don’t judge me, I have to get my money’s worth.

 

Image

********************************************************

Images from:

http://www.hisimp.net/wp/christmas-burglary-advice/

http://oxfordstudent.com/2012/10/11/the-gourmands-guide-to-gluttony-all-you-can-eat-buffet-tactics/