One of the things I love most about Christmas is how the preparation for it pervades all aspects of life.
Being busy is nothing new, but as Christmas approaches it’s like people throw caution to the wind and spontaneity pervades. “It’s Christmas… let’s have that meeting in a coffee shop rather than the office.” or, “Gareth Gates? In panto… that can’t be missed.”
And suddenly the kitchen space we have squirreled away in the corner of our office boasts liquorice allsorts and Christmas biscuits instead of just a teetering pile of coffee sachets.
And even my ‘my bedroom must be tidy at all costs’ rule is suspended, as I make full advantage of the season and go on a Christmas present creating spree. I think the glitter maybe permanently ground in to the carpet now, but it was jolly worth it.
And the biggest surprise of all – the people in my life who adhere to the ‘Starbucks is evil and should be avoided at all costs’ belief system, give into the festive cheer provided by comfy seats and Frank Sinatra singing Christmas tunes, and plan trips there.
It feels like the preperations for Christmas have helped me stop and see what is good about my life, what amazing friends I have, and how blessed I am to be able to discover, share and celebrate life with them in many different ways.
My festive preparations can be summed up with a number of useful (and semi-alliterative) headings:
Creatively - I have been in a flurry since the beginning of November with a number of different creative projects. I will be really sad when they’re all done to be honest. My housemate asked me if I was starring in a real life version of Blue Peter, which made me laugh, but I have found there is nothing like coming home after a busy day and getting stuck in (literally) to cutting and glueing and turning a heap of junk into something beautiful. I will post pictures in January, when all surprises are out in the open!!
I’ve been reminded how much I love to be able to make things for people, even buying stuff I know my friends will love is good fun, but there is something very cool knowing that a thing exists that wouldn’t have existed if my imagination and effort (and frantic blagging with sticky dots) hadn’t come into play. I found a new haven for homemade paper too, and had to resist the urge to buy a sheet in every colour. I definitely need to dig into the creative stuff more next year, make intentional space for it etc. I feel like a little kid who is working on a really special picture that I’ll take home and stick on the fridge. And the lines maybe a bit wonky and to everyone else it might look like scribble, but I know exactly what it is meant to be.
I am aware of at least two creative presents coming my way too. One of my dear friends is knitting me a toadstool hat and sad sack doll:
(How excited am I!!!)
Corporately - I have been involved in a number of thrilling capers, most noteably the mad dash to find boxes to wrap up to appear like fake presents to hold up the ailing Wandsworth SA tree. (If anyone steals them they will find the ‘presents’ are actually assam tea bags, but they look good).
Another great escapade occured on Saturday, when a good friend and I battled torrential rain and travelled to Romford for another friend’s Christmas party. The party was lovely, the food was amazing, and I loved hanging out and playing games involving balloons and small children. Plus it smelled of Christmas… you know , when it’s damp outside but inside smells of mulled wine and spice and stuff. Bliss.
Individually - (How I wish that word began with C…) I’ve managed to carve out quite a bit of space over the past week or so just to think about Christmas and what it really means to me amidst all the bustle and chaos. And that probably warrants a blog post all of its own; but for now it will suffice to say that I have been thinking a lot about Jesus as a baby, thinking what the point of that was, why God chose to do it that way… why would he choose to come in the form of something so little and vulnerable and helpless etc…?
Ten days from now I will probably be delving into turkey and mince pies aplenty; I am so looking forward to the day itself, to the culmination of all the planning and preparation etc. I am looking forward to church on Christmas morning, and cups of tea and the look on people’s faces as they open presents (a look which confirms my staunch belief that there are not enough words in the english language… ‘joy’ doesn’t cut it, ‘bemusement’ is useful sometimes… Why isn’t there a word that says ‘this gift really communicates that I am loved and that someone in the world knows me well enough to know that this will thrill me/make me laugh uproariously/cause me to spend much of 2009 working out how to do it’?).
But this year I have enjoyed, and learned lessons from the preparation as much as the day. As we have looked to celebrate Jesus’ life, I realise that there is much to celebrate about my own 
