Merry Christmas to all, the Christ is born! Peace on Earth & goodwill towards Man! Of course, Christmas Day is the exclusive preserve of family, so these lines aren't being actually composed on Christmas Day. Nor do I expect that they'll be read on Christmas Day. No, they're being typed days in advance, & set to be published automatically by the friendly robots at Blogger (not nearly so friendly since they were bought by the evil empire that is Google, but still). I hope that each of you was nice rather than naughty over the course of the past year, & that Santa Claus rewarded you accordingly. Pray take a moment, amidst all the presents & the familial love & the return of the N.B.A., to reflect upon the momentous occasion that we mark today, the Mass we celebrate to illuminate our joy at the birth of the Christ. The Lord Almighty, Creator of Heaven & Earth, came down amongst us, not with an earth-shaking voice & His Terrible Majesty, but as a wee babe, tender & mild, born not in a palace mighty but a stable filthy. He came with mercy beyond our comprehension, to take upon His sinless breast all the sin of Mankind—past, present, & future—& to trade His life for ours. He is the King of Kings, the Redeemer of all the world; His Kingdom will stand throughout all eternity, & yet He came into the world as we all come into the world, naked & cold, screaming for air. A perfect & perfectly normal human baby, & yet at the same time the Creator of Time & Space, infinite, without beginning or end. Today we celebrate the birth of the Christ, the birth of hope & our salvation. If that's not a reason to be merry, I don't know what is. Merry Christmas! "God bless us, every one!"
The Explorers Club
№ CCLXVII - Old Sarum, original site of the English town of Salisbury, & prior to the Great Reform Act of 1832 the rottenest of the rotten boroughs.
The Rebel Black Dot Song of Christmas Day
Sufjan Stevens, "Holy, Holy, Holy" from Songs for Christmas (T.L.A.M.)
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