Happy Christmas!

Happy Christmas, readers! (if there are any!) Plans seem to be getting increasinly strange, but we should set off with a car full of food, furniture and pot plants and find somewhere to have a decent meal by Boxing Day. Back in the New Year.

Tigger returns!

The Bouncy One is back! Frozen after the train journey yesterday, and in desperate need of sleep coming straight off night duty. She's on good form today, however, so we take ourselves off to the Hotel for a warming lunch. Some odd decor for the festive season; the talking Christmas tree by the door is annoying, and the snowman raising his hat in the window slightly creepy (I'm not making this up), but the food is great and the fire cheering, and NO CAROLS on the muzak!

In the giving and the receiving

A present arrived today. "Letters to a Young Poet" by Rilke. I've not got any Rilke, though I love it. I have this theory that Rilke is one of those writers you don't buy for yourself. You don't go to Waterstones and think "I'll get a volume of Rilke"; you buy it for someone else, or you get it given to you. So you would only have Rilke on your shelf if someone had bought you a copy. And, until now, no-one has. Part of its significance is in the giving and the receiving. The epitome of Christmas present giving, in other words. So many of the quotations appear in quotation anthologies, and so much great wisdom, simply expressed. Loads of cross-references to novels and films that I like too. Wonderful.

Things go on much the same; the season of Bing and Santa draws to its inevitable conclusion. Nine church services over the next five days, and that's just me! Some one asked how I did it (presumably all the rushing about and turning up here there and everywhere). I gently pointed out that I wasn't the actual vicar, merely a stunt double employed at this time of year to make the job easier. Like the real Santa, I need lots of stand-ins. I don't think she was convinced. In fact, I know how I do it. I do it by neglecting myself and my family and my friends, and concentrating entirely on the parishes and their needs.

School productions

Lots of school productions this week, and a very high standard set, especially by one of the primary schools. They didn't just get the words right, and sing in tune, they were right there with one hundred percent concentration, smiling and engaged with leaders and audience. Impressive. A few years ago we'd have been impressed with such a performance from FE Performing Arts students of 18 or 19 years old. Now we're getting this from primary age children. In the pub afterwards, parents agreed, they went to support their kids, but came away feeling that they'd been entertained.

With the smaller schools, the standard is not as high, but the effort still considerable, and the commitment of teachers and assistants is huge. At the beginning of nativity plays we make the now customary announcements, under the child protection policy, including No Photography; Please Apply to School for copies of Photos taken by Staff. No-one takes a blind bit of notice. There is a blizzard of flash as each child appears.

5 things I don't want to hear this Christmas

1. It's for the children really, isn't it?
2. I'm not doing all this next year!
3. Here's yours (thrusting card into my hand)
4. It's really become so commercialised nowadays, hasn't it?
5. Did you have a good Christmas? (said on Boxing Day)

Someone else is out there

Someone else is out there with similar ideas. An excellent training day on political theology, with the very excellent Luke Bretherton, who lectures at my old theological college. I was there before he was born, of course, but no matter, the guy talks sense. Four models of political engagement for the Church: pastor (putting sticking plasters on the wounds), pedagogy (setting ourselves up as an example to the world - not much chance of that these days), party (what i've been doing lately, engaging with local government on schools policies and the unpleasant necessity of meetings with actual politicians), and prophet (telling 'em how it is). I've been around long enough to hear ideas and people for the second and third time, but that doesn't matter, if they're good. Saul Alinsky and Citizen Organising goes back to the forties, but it's good stuff that has never been properly tested out. Maybe someone will take it on at last?

Five things to give thanks for today

1. The sunshine! It has been so dark and wet for days
2. Tigger keeps ringing and bucking me up when I'm down
3. She will be back on Saturday
4. Log fires!
5. Emails from friends!