Alf McCreary: Without the joy of Christmas, the world would certainly be a poorer place
Recently I was busy writing my Christmas cards – fewer than last year because of the exorbitant cost of stamps - and thinking of last-minute presents.
Suddenly I realised, as you may have done also, that I was becoming stressed with the worldly demands of what should be an essentially religious festival which encourages us to seek personal peace and to show goodwill to everyone.
Given the current state of the world, this may seem to be a tall order.
The daily news is immensely depressing, whether it is about the turmoil internationally with wars and threats of even more conflicts, or nearer home about the horrific mistreatment of children like Sara Sharif, the little girl in England who was tortured to death by her monstrous father and stepmother. Deservedly, they were given long sentences for doing so.
There are also the stories about the mistreatment of so many women, with yet more females murdered locally and elsewhere, and the dreadful mass rape case in France where the former husband of Gisele Pelicot was jailed for 20 years for her abuse and also for master-minding her rape, while drugged, by 50 other men who have also been sentenced.
Internationally, the situation is reminiscent of late 1930s in Europe when a largely unarmed Britain was sleep-walking into the conflagration of the Second World War with all its horrors to come.
Sadly the situation is much more dangerous today, with the continued violence in Ukraine and the Middle East which could have direct consequences for all of us.
We are living under the shadow of nuclear warfare which could suddenly erupt from a mistake or a misunderstanding, rather than from a deliberate attack by the dangerously obsessive Putin.
Politically there is not much cheer in the United Kingdom where the high hopes we had following the election of Labour are now fast vanishing in mistrust and sheer disbelief.
How could Prime Minister Starmer come to power by criticising the antics of the Tories and then accept a gift from a donor to pay for his suits and spectacles, while at the same time abolishing the winter fuel payments for pensioners, and also hitting the farmers?
Starmer is a good lawyer, but he lacks charisma and also the street-wise political instincts to be an effective prime minister for these tough times.
At home the situation is better than it has been for some time, if only because the politicians are back at Stormont.
Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly deserve great credit for working so hard together, but there are those inside the chamber who take every opportunity to criticise, and others outside who put into people’s heads the idea that Stormont itself will fail sooner or later.
At times it almost seems as if they have a political death- wish.
So all of this might suggest that we should switch off the lights, bin the Christmas cards and admit that there is very little peace or goodwill anywhere. Yet it would be a mistake to do so.
There are enough good people around to sustain most of us in our hopes for a happy Christmas, though there are others whose personal circumstances of loneliness, ill health and lack of money will make it a difficult time for them.
This year in particular the bright festive lights adorning homes, public buildings and the centre of Belfast have been impressive, though there are always stories where a local council has made a mess of providing a decent tree.
Most councils carry out this duty well enough, but there is nothing worse to behold than a pathetic Christmas tree in the local square.
This has also been a good year for Christmas music, with the Ulster Orchestra and the Belfast Philharmonic performing an excellent Messiah in the Ulster Hall last week, and there are great carol services almost everywhere.
Earlier this month I visited the beautiful Durham Cathedral and took part in one of their carol services with other members of a very large congregation.
I also attended a first-rate concert performed by the talented Durham University Orchestra.
It is noticeable that in this allegedly secular age there are many, many thousands of people who fill cathedrals, churches and other buildings to sing carols. This may be out of sentimentality for their childhood, or their religious faith, or both.
This is one of the key times for the churches to share the good news about the Christian message, and most of them do it well -though my heart goes out to those children in an English primary school where a vicar was misguided in talking about the real Santa Claus.
Soon enough the turkey dinners will be finished, the presents exchanged and Christmas will be over. Then we will start looking to the future and hope that there may be a better year to come.
Perhaps in a way we all go a little mad at Christmas, spending more than we would like to, sending those extra cards despite the costs, over-indulging at some of the parties and wondering why we did it.
Despite all this, there is still something special about Christmas, and without it, the world would be a poorer place.
Many years ago I returned from a long trip in Africa, including two non-Christian countries, and I came back to a Belfast which was celebrating Christmas with warmth and style even at the height of the Troubles.
So in this year in comparative peace long after those awful times, I wish you all a Happy Christmas!
Alf McCreary's latest book Keeping the Faith is published by Messenger at £12.95 and is available in local bookshops and on Amazon