Categories: uncategorized
Date: 09 December 2007 14:12:36
There comes a point in the run-up to Christmas, when I suddenly realise I don't really have any free time anymore. I think I've hit that point.
Tonight is the Christmas party for our church's youth leaders.
Tomorrow I am helping to plan a Christmas meal for our cell group, and then most likely going pub quizzing afterwards.
On Tuesday I am having a night in to catch up with everything.
On Wednesday it's cell.
On Thursday I'm rehearsing for the huge outdoor carols event taking place on Saturday, where I shall once again be singing onstage as part of our gospel-style choir, and there's a possibility I may go to see a friend playing a gig in town afterwards.
On Friday it's the Christmas party for the youth cell group I help lead.
On Saturday it's the big carol event, which will take up the whole of the afternoon and possibly spill into the evening too.
On Sunday we're doing the aforementioned cell Christmas dinner, and following that, if I didn't see my friend playing on Thursday, I might go and see him playing somewhere else.
And after that, I don't think I'll have more than two nights in before I'm heading off to the parents' for Christmas.
Now, of course the idea of Christmas is to remember the birth of Jesus, and most of the things I'm being kept busy with reflect that in some way. But it's still hard to keep the balance between doing the "Christmas stuff" and doing the "Xmas stuff". And of course, there are still lots of other things that are just part of normal life that carry on with no regard for what time of year it is.
Am I looking forward to Christmas? Yes and no. Yes, because it's a time of celebrating Jesus, and because I get to see family and friends who I don't see very often these days, and have some time away from work. No, because I'm away from home (I've considered Birmingham to be my "home" for a good three years or so now, and may well unpack the reasons for this in due time) and away from a lot of my friends who I'd like to be able to spend more time with.
And to think, all this fuss, and it'll all be over in three weeks' time...