It's midnight on November 30th and I am on facebook sharing the angst of a teenager away from home for the first time as she realised she will not be sharing in her normal family advent calendar tradition. In fact she has no advent calendar at all. A midnight dilemma should she go and buy one so all will be well in the morning - December 1st. I began to ponder on my Christmas traditions and associations, some I have carried since childhood, others are part of my own children's Christmas celebrations. What are they? The tree (very important in our house being purchased as I type and will be up and festooned tomorrow), mince pies (already had one of those this week), sherry, carols and Christmas card writing (already in the diary for tomorrow evening), the star (pride of place on top of the tree), the nativity (Sunday the 18th this year, rehearsals went well this morning). Actually my list of Christmas tradition in our family is endless. All these things have warm and inviting memories of many Christmases past and bring to mind those who will never celebrate Christmas with us again. But December 1st makes me focus not on my Christmas traditions but on Jesus - as each day of the month I open another door on the advent calendar, I glimpse my saviour a bit more, as I read another piece of the scripture that prophesies his birth it just reminds me again and again that Jesus is alive, here, right now. He was born a baby, walked this earth and grew to be a man who suffered and died for me and you. Ask yourself this question each day as you prepare for Christmas 2011 "What kind of man is this?" If you do not know - then find out more.
