Do you remember the Christmas’s when, no matter what was on your wish list, any gift or kindness was always enough. To turn your hand in the kitchen when the dinner was being cooked was considered good manners, and to walk off a huge and satisfying lunch was pure enjoyment, bonding family and friends in an inexplicable time warp before speeding off once again when the festive period was over.

I wish to remind you of the purpose of this festivity as not only Jesus Christ’s birthday but as something far more important. This is a time of unique importance that comes once a year and binds us in a stream of present giving, good wine and rich foods. It does not need to be purely about self importance and gaining the best gifts. It needs to be recognised as a period of self giving, exorcising greed and indulgence.

More often than not our present buying overwhelms us, sending us in a whirlwind of frustrating comparisons and high expenditure. What more could you have got for Uncle Benjamin besides the book, the slippers and his favourite tipple. Our gifts have on the whole got extortionately expensive. The token gifts that we constantly refer to ends up being larger, whilst our children’s resolve to get the latest Nintendo or Wii machine leaves us out of pocket. Time and again we curse the high expenditure, making promises of keeping it cheaper next year, only to allow the same calamitous expectations to intercede once again.

Let us all take a breather from this mayhem and determine to make one small difference this year. Maybe we could be less indulgent in what we eat, or make our own special cards for close family and friends. A few well chosen and meaningful words are worth so much more than a glossy present. A sentiment lasts a life time whilst often the gift is forgotten within weeks. Help someone less fortunate than yourself without expecting acknowledgement, or spend an afternoon helping a friend with something they find difficult.  Send a prayer or thought to those in need and make a promise to be more compassionate.

These little steps to create a kinder world will magnify in importance if we allow them to. Watch as our world improves as others take notice and copy our gestures. Nothing goes unnoticed; someone will always be observant or grateful. Trust in our own capabilities to be more giving of ourselves and more endearing to others without spending money. We will feel altogether more spiritual adjusted and connected with our God. God bless and glad tidings to you all.