Greetings One and all,
‘There are several attitudes towards Christmas.., the social, the torpid, the patently commercial, the rowdy (the pubs being open to midnight And the childish, which is not that of a child…Let him continue in a spirit of wonder’ (The Cultivation of Christmas Trees by T.S.Eliot; Faber and Faber, London, 1969,p.111) At our recent Bible study we reflected that we were in the ‘mean times’ or ‘between times’ As I write this letter I am struck by this phrase because it does sum up our predicament; not simply between Christmas and Epiphany or one year’s ending and another’s beginning. It’s a recognition that we are the in-betweeners, a post- Christmas, post-Easter resurrection people. We are the folk in the age of the Spirit awaiting the fulfilment of all things. T.S. Eliot points us in the right direction even in this tired, ravaged, cynical world we should never lose that sense of ‘a spirit of wonder’ The spirit of wonder which the shepherds experienced, which Mary knew, which one sees in the eyes of children each Christmastide. Our attitudes may differ towards Christmas. I was talking to a butcher earlier today and he was frank ‘ Father, I can’t stand turkey, if I see another I might lose it.’ The ‘patently commercial’ Christmas is flawed, particularly as it seems to start earlier and earlier every year. It also places huge stresses upon people, my butcher included! The ‘rowdy’ Christmas once held its delights for me, but now no more. Trying to appreciate that in-between period, the gift of Christ and the gifting of the Magi, is to
rediscover something of the mystery of the Incarnation. Eliot tells us ‘A cold coming we had of it, just the worst time of year for a journey and such a long journey’ (The journey of the Magi; https://poetryarchive.org/collections/t-s-eliotprize/
Being in-betweeners means we are on a journey and such a long one too. Eliot sets the poem off to a bleak start, but for you and for me it may also represent the reality of our faith journey. Following the Christian path may fill us with awe and wonder, it may sustain and comfort us, it may demand everything of us; it may be our alpha and omega; it may be our way, our truth, our life. In-between the beginning and the end of our journey, the experience of the Magi and that of the wonder of Christmas in a child’s imagination, may be distilled into our Christian pilgrimage, transforming and
enabling us to live more fully. As 2026 appears on the horizon may I wish you peace, grace and hope for the new
year, Blessings, Simon