I'm sorry to be the bearer of this news, but there are fewer than eighty-five days until Christmas. Supermarket staff are poised to swap out all the Halloween paraphernalia for baubles
and Christmas crackers at the stroke of midnight on the last day of October. That is not to say some festive goods have not already arrived in stores. On Saturday, September 2nd, at 11:56, I bought the first box of mince pies for this year. The fact that I can be so specific about the time and date is less of a compulsion about mince pies and more to do with an 'in-joke' with a colleague at work. The addition of mince pies to the supermarket shelves is a sure-fire indicator that we are rapidly heading towards the tail end of the year and the familiar pattern of Halloween, Bonfire Night, the lighting of the Christmas tree, Santa's sleigh touring the village, Christingle, Carols on the Parade, Christmas, Boxing Day bloat, and before you know it, it is the new year.
It is so easy to bounce from one month to the next, doing the same old things, repeating things from the year before without considering if you want to do it that way or even if you like it. A few years ago, in the Pepper household, we decided we really didn't like the traditional Christmas dinner of turkey and changed to the far less festive leg of lamb. This year, with prices as they are, it may be chops. The point is we stopped just doing things because that's the way we have always done things and changed to doing things that we enjoyed and valued. In business, it is common practice to review what you are doing and whether it is the right thing. In life, it is less common. The Citizens Advice Bureau estimates that in the UK, half a billion pounds are spent on subscriptions that people subscribe to and forget to cancel, and that £300 million per year is spent on subscriptions that people do not use. We know from experience the painful realization of how much we could have saved if we had moved our home insurance instead of letting it auto-renew for the last number of years.
People assume that Christianity is nothing more than the nice children’s stories at Christmas or a something that is completely out of touch with modern living. The reality though is that it provides a wider perspective on life, gives each of us the permission to stop just doing things for no purpose and the freedom to change. The church surrounds us with the community to encourage and support us as we explore what we value and enjoy.
Before we enter the hectic last months of the year, maybe it is time to take stock of the things we do, the things we spend on, the things that take up our time not because we value and enjoy them, but just because we have not considered stopping and doing something different.
