Post-Christmas gratitude

Festive greetings to all.

(Warning: high saccharine content)

A few days ago, I let rip on the subject of the excessive pressure on people, spiritual and otherwise, of the Christmas season.  Although the season is not over (12 days!) it has peaked, and I am now in mellower mood, and able to appreciate its finer points.

Jesus’ (official) birthday.  Presents.  Time off work, and with family…

And a lot of other things, small and individual to each person.  You will have your own Christmas pleasures.  Here are some of mine:

• Trying to deduce who sent the Christmas card before opening the envelope, using only handwriting and postcode. (Some efficient people sabotage this by using printed address labels.  I forgive you.)
• Being reminded of all the little ways in which I enjoy my family’s company.
• Walking into a room that is completely dark except for Christmas tree lights. Is there anything more magical?
• As a person who sings in a choir once a year… annually rediscovering harmonies and descants to carols. “In the Bleak Midwinter” has a particularly good alto line.
• Using festive tableware and crockery.
• Bringing out one’s own family traditions, and knowing that they are ours, silly and trivial, and they bind us together.
• The way in which normal business stops. This stopping, for one day between frantic Christmas preparation and Boxing Day sales, is perhaps the only way the country, of all faiths and none, does come together at Christmas.  All over Britain there is a kind of Sabbath, and it is good.
• Post-Christmas days, for those who do not do the sales. Days when the pressure is off to be sociable, to go to church, to prepare magnificent banquets.  All these things are good, but… days of no deadlines; of eating leftovers of still delicious food; of watching still better-than-average TV; of gloating over gifts – reading the new books, listening to the new music, playing the new games… For the lazy and self-indulgent, Christmas Eve is magical, Christmas Day is exciting, but Boxing Day is bliss.

Any other not-to-be-overlooked Christmas delights?

Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year from the Partial, Prejudiced, Ignorant and Chocolate-stuffed Blogger.