It’s that time of year again, it’s Christmas. It brings up a mixed range of emotions from ‘can’t wait for it’ to ‘wishing it was over’. There is so much commercialism and consumerism that it is very easy to get caught up in the pressure and panic to have that perfect Christmas.

There is the underlying message that Christmas is a perfect time, it is about the perfect family, the perfect gift, the perfect meal etc. It  can often be difficult not to buy into some or all of this. If Christmas was to be stripped bare what would we be left with? Christmas is about celebrating the beginning of new life, it is about renewal, sharing, giving and receiving. It can also be about forgiveness and letting bygones be bygones. It is a very basic and simple message but a lot of this gets lost in the hype.

Perhaps it’s time to reacquaint ourselves with the simplicity of Christmas. This can bring us joy, a sense of connection and fulfillment which is there waiting for us to really experience it. There is beauty in simplicity.