december 24th - enjoy your 'friday' of peace on earth

So tomorrow, while you’re celebrating, I’ll be trying to get through another Friday. Every other year I’d be packing my memories back into their box for another year but this year I did something different. I opened the doors. I gave away my memories. I don’t need them any more and a part of me hopes that now they are public they no longer belong to me. I can live without them quite happily as I move on into a New Year.
 
We, or at least I, live in a world that is so filled with contradiction. I’m convinced it could be really simple to live a peaceful, good, happy and fulfilled life. I’m equally convinced that it’s almost impossible given the conditions that exist. And I’m more than ever convinced there’s very little any of us can do to really change things. What I wish for everyone as we go into 2016, is the opportunity to open your eyes, to think for yourself, to challenge all that we are told and sold, and to do the best you can.
 
It’s been an interesting experience re-visiting my Christmases past. I’d like to think its cathartic, and in a way it has helped me to contextualise a lot of experiences into the wider pattern of my life. I guess I’ve reached that time in life when you start to reflect and make sense of the past more than looking eagerly towards the future.  I’ve opened the Advent calendar of my past life and if you’ve made it this far, so have you.  I know it wasn’t much of a gift at times but I hope you’ve gained some insight if not pleasure from what we’ve shared.
Maybe it’s got you thinking about your own relationship with Christmas past and present. In which case I have probably given you your own memories, both happy and sad. 
 
Sorry if you feel I’ve not given this much of an ending, but the doors are all open at last and at least.  Perhaps it’s appropriate that my Advent calendar ends with a whimper rather than a bang!  It’ll soon be Saturday. Then Sunday… then a whole new week begins. I’m looking forward to that. Till then, enjoy your Friday in whatever way you please.