In preparation of the holidays I was making sure that I had downloaded all of the pictures off of my camera so that I would have a nice empty memory card so that I can take lots of new pictures.
Within those pictures were the images I took of the Remembrance Day memorial at the Tower of London Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red. I’ve spoken about it before but I can’t stress enough how incredibly humbling it was to see. One poppy for every British life lost completely filled in the moat surrounding the tower. On this trip many of the poppies had already been removed as it was 2 days after Armistice Day, however the section I stood in front of still carried a sizable punch with it. Looking at those pictures I started thinking about how there is such a strong correlations between the act of remembering and the act of celebration. If you miss out on that then the celebration looses much of its meaning, this in part explains the emptiness behind the secular consumer Christmas. The remembrance of Christs birth and all that it means has been replaced by twinkling lights, crowded shopping centers and miles of gift wrap that will soon be added to a landfill.

Christmas is a celebration to be sure, but it is a celebration that without the remembrance of Good Friday and Easter Sunday is completely without meaning.
If we don’t remember that this was just the start of Christs story then we are loosing out, what is the point in celebrating the birth of a baby born thousands of years ago if he didn’t actually do anything. You can’t celebrate something unless you know why there is a celebration in the first place. And I love all the decorations, songs, gift giving and food that goes along with this ‘holiday season’ as much as the next person I have simply been reminded in the importance of taking a moment or five and remembering why it all happens in the first place. I am reminded of the need for centering my spirit in the midst of all the chaos and bright lights that can sometimes distract from the stillness of the manger in the night with a star in the sky above it guiding the way to the Christ Child within. Remembering who we are without God allows us to celebrate in the hope and life that this day brought for us.

I’ve been doing a lot of remembering in the last week or so, as I reflect on how different this holiday is from the last. This time last year I was finishing up my packing for the big move over here, boxing up belonging to go into storage, figuring out what I could afford to bring over weight wise and what would need to stay behind, putting a life into two bags.
The busyness of setting up the church for Christmas has been replaced by the chaos of Christmas week at school a strange of mix of secular and religion that doesn’t quite hit the mark. Last year had the busyness of goodbyes to friends and family while this year brings bittersweet reflection on those that have kept in touch and those that never seem to have the time despite my best efforts. This years celebrations involved much simpler times, a lovely Christmas dinner with the housemates and decorating a gingerbread house with my second family the Frey’s before they headed back to Canada for two weeks.

I’ve packed a much smaller bag this time around as I’m getting ready to head out to my aunt and uncles this afternoon. 14 of crammed into one house will make for an adventurous time to be sure but one that I am most definitely looking forward to. Holidays such as this one reaffirm why I chose to go to a country where I do have family, the holidays without them would be a grim affair to be sure. Half of the house went home to their families yesterday and it’s already too quiet around here for my tastes.

I hope you are all having a lovely holiday this far, and as we are rapidly approaching Christmas day take a moment to remember what the true center of this holiday is.