the eighth day

In Australia, Christmas decorations hit the shops in late September (Easter eggs and hot cross buns have already appeared in supermarkets!). By the time Christmas has arrived, it has already been swallowed and destroyed by the commercialism, not to mention the inane repetition of carols in the stores and lifts.

Although I have yet to convince the family to abandon its tradition of putting up the decorations in the first week of December ;-), by counting the twelve days of Christmas (through to Epiphany on January 6), we have seen the Christmas story much more grounded in our life experience. Instead of ending the story at the cradle, we followed through to the flight to Egypt and the slaughter of the innocents, building profound connections with contemporary events: the deportation of asylum seekers from Australia, and of course, the Boxing Day tsunami.

As we have reflected on the Incarnation in these contexts, we have discovered a deeper meaning of the birth of Christ: the entry of God into the suffering of the world. Our lights, nativity (which took its own flight to Egypt on a windy day, but that's another story), and images have helped us enter into the Christmas spirit in a fresh way. We have enjoyed Christmas, well beyond the day itself.

Our 8-year-old daughter R, reflected today in discussions about her "discovery" about Santa Claus, that the Christmas spirit - giving - ought not be confined to a single day, if we are truly to see Jesus present in the world.

Out of the mouths of children...