BLOG 266 - Day Ten

"Christmas itself may be called into question, if carried so far it creates indigestion" 
Ralph Bergengren [Essayist, humorist, critic, and children’s poet] 

Somewhere in the mid 1970's when local vicars started wearing jumpers and having trendy names like Garry, Dave or Darren, Christianity fell out of favour with the vast majority of the English populace. It started to seem like a tiresome but over energetic uncle who wanted to get down with the kids and had no idea how out of touch he was. 

However this fate did not befall the ultimate of Christian festivals.

Christmas remains at the heart of most Englishman's high days and holiday list and is an unstoppable force. True, it is the Secular rather than the Ecumenical that most are passionate about; but unstoppable force none the less. 

Where I live we have a Titular Bishop who decorates his house in the most gaudy fashion bringing together the secular (santa, reindeers and for some yet to be explained reason soldiers in Napoleonic uniform) and the Ecumenical (full blown nativity scene). Bishop Dave's house is a must see, and has become a local ritual... cars pull up all hours of the day and night so the occupants can come and gaze in wonder. 

We are big in Sauff Eayst Lundin on gaudy - the secular rites of the season give us carte blanches to decorate in a fashion better suited to the other side of the Atlantic. 

That said my recent reverie has meant that my house has remained dark. I find the pendulum motion of my moods are not really in keeping with the festive season and the last thing I have been thinking about is decorating trees and festooning the house with lights. 

However my inaction has become noticeable along my street. My neighbours - used to the fact that I adhere to the 12 days before/12 days after ruling when it comes to Christmas decorations gleefully awaited my lights to join theirs on Friday. So by this morning (Sunday) … there had been enquiries. 

So thus... and it must be said with somewhat heavy heart on my part... my son and I got on with the task. 

We are a three tree house hold. One in the porch, One in the living room and One in the dining room.  

We have adhered to the three tree thing... but the rest of the decorations are much scaled down, a stocking each for he, for me and for the cat and a few little touches here and there. It didn't seem right to go all out as normal. In fact until the neighbours enquired this morning it didn't seem right to bother at all. 

However the secular side of Christmas is an unstoppable force. 

Despite the fact we are still reeling from the events of December 5th....We had to do something .

And so we have decked the boughs. 

However I feel it fair to say that Bishop Dave has absolutely NOTHING to worry about. 

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