Thought for the Week

I always find it a wee bit sad on January 6 when we take the Christmas decorations down.

For about a month the illuminations in people’s homes and in the shops and the streets have brought light to the darkest time of the year.

The anticipation of Christmas and the gatherings of family and friends, the excitement of gifts given and received, have kept us going through dark days.

The end of the festive season comes as a reminder that we cannot always live with celebration.

For many of us, one of the joys of the end of the festive season is that we no longer have to listen to Christmas music as we go about our daily business.

Christmas is good, but I know that I am not the only one who would be filled with dread if the words of the song “I wish it could be Christmas every day” were turned into reality.

The time of rejoicing and celebration isn’t meant to be a whole new way of life.

At their best, the celebrations are an opportunity to draw closer to those dearest to us.

Through them we show our appreciation to those who mean the most to us, and say out loud things that we do not always say about how precious our relationships are to us.

The time of celebration cannot go on forever.

But the spirit of friendship and appreciation, of support for those who are closest to us and the consideration of those whose lives are difficult that comes to the fore through the celebrations can go on making a difference to the way we live and to the way we treat others through the whole year. Leslie Milton Cambuslang Parish Church