Christmas is great fun, and Advent calendars were created to heighten the excitement as we approach the celebration itself. Tiffany's have introduced an Advent calendar costing $112,000 this is the extreme but there are plenty of others that are extraordinarily extravagant, conspicuous consumption at its worst.
Maybe this is a good time to pause and think about Advent and Christmas, use Advent as a period of preparation not just for celebrations but for life, to think about what Christmas means to each of us, and how we can live up to it's message. That message may be different for each one of us ~ for me when asked about the meaning of Christmas I will usual say that "It is when we celebrate the transcendent become manifest" ~ but then I am a poser!
Surely if Christmas has a unifying message then it is very much just that! A message of unity, of giving without expectation of receiving, of (as the angels put it) peace among men!
Somehow at a time like this conspicuous consumption feels particularly gross, so how about instead of the fizz calendar, the jewellery calendar, or even the grown up chocolate calendar, try something different.
How about trying the Food Bank Advent Calendar?
I only heard about this yesterday morning on the radio, each day lists an item of food needed by food banks, instead of consuming it you donate it!
Now I am enraged that here in the UK we need food banks because people in work can't afford food, because of the delays in paying benefits, because successive governments have chosen to victimise people for being poor rather than supporting them ~ but that is the situation we have so this year as well as writing my own advent calendar I will be donating to my local food bank.
For more information look here a good article from last year in the i or go to the Trussle Trust
Surely if Christmas has a unifying message then it is very much just that! A message of unity, of giving without expectation of receiving, of (as the angels put it) peace among men!
How about trying the Food Bank Advent Calendar?
I only heard about this yesterday morning on the radio, each day lists an item of food needed by food banks, instead of consuming it you donate it!
Now I am enraged that here in the UK we need food banks because people in work can't afford food, because of the delays in paying benefits, because successive governments have chosen to victimise people for being poor rather than supporting them ~ but that is the situation we have so this year as well as writing my own advent calendar I will be donating to my local food bank.
For more information look here a good article from last year in the i or go to the Trussle Trust
1 comment:
Here, here, I agree wholeheartedly. The act of giving is much more appropriate and does bring more joy to the heart than receiving!
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