Ascension : News From The Grotto
Submitted by The Islander (Shari Parkhill) 24.12.2009 (Article Archived on 07.01.2010)

Today is my precious grandson Dominik’s very first birthday.

20 December 2009

4^th Sunday of Advent

Today is my precious grandson Dominik’s very first birthday.  Last year he was our wonderful Christmas present.  He continues to bring a joy to the family that cannot be measured.  To his parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and extended family he is the light of our lives.

He is a reminder to me every day of the wonderful gift that God gave to the world with the birth of His precious son.  For years, the Bible foretold the birth of Jesus.  When He as born, the world changed.  And each year we celebrate this by remembering and honouring His birthday.  Christmas is a season of rebirth, renewal, and acceptance of the spirit that God instills in each and every one of us. 

As Christmas approaches we are always very busy.  Reading my friends’ Face Book statuses one can easily see this.   They mention parties, shopping, wrapping, baking; all the parts of the whirlwind of activity that we pack into this holiday season.  Even here on Ascension, there have been parties, get-togethers and other events.  I still have wrapping to do!

But here on Ascension, Christmas is still calmer.  Without the many shopping malls and stores, last minute shopping is virtually non-existent.  If it hasn’t arrived now, we won’t be wrapping it!  There is still baking to do, and Christmas dinner to prepare.  But I find that we fill the time before the big day in more pleasurable past-times – hiking, diving, and visiting. 

For many from the United States and United Kingdom, we miss the snow that we have come to associate with the season.  But the climate here is so much closer to that of that first Christmas.  We have to remember that Jesus was born in a stable, after a dusty trip.  Well, we’re certainly accustomed to dust, and heat, and the barren terrain.  So, in fact, we are much closer to the atmosphere of the first Christmas, than if we were back home.

We may be missing family as well.  I feel this more acutely this year with having Dominik in my life.  I know I am missing his birthday party today and watching him open presents on Christmas Day.  But we celebrated Christmas in September, so I didn’t really miss it.  I don’t think Jesus would mind us celebrating His birthday a bit sooner, if it meant that as a family we celebrated together.  It is a tradition we have vowed to continue if we will be apart in December. 

It is celebrating the meaning of Christmas that is so important, not the where, not the traditions necessarily, or the getting together.  Christmas should be in our hearts first.   This means that even if we are apart from our loved ones, we can still celebrate Christmas with happiness and peace.

So this year, as we get closer to the birthday of the Lord, let us all remember to celebrate the spirit of Christmas, to share it with those around us, whether family, friends, or acquaintances.  Let us fill our world with the peace and joy of the season.  That way we can spread it to others.

From me and my family to you and all of yours, may this be a season blessed with joy, happiness, and most of all peace and love.