ok Christmas is over, we just have to deal with lack of money, illnesses and the chill of the weather that comes after it.

I get annoyed at people (often some other Christians) who moan that Christmas is commercialised and we should boycot it or something, often, “oh I think Jesus was born in July or something so Im going to sulk in the corner and ignore it”

I think Christmas is whatever you make it, as a Christian myself I do think its hyped up, you are forced to spend money and forget the real ocassion itself the birth of Jesus.

The company I work for is based in a non-Western country and therefore doesnt celebrate Christmas, but often some of the people mention a casual greeting.

What Im trying to say is you can be a sucker and do whatever people on the television tell you to do, or you can celebrate Christmas in a way that I think Christ himself would approve of.

Christmas cards – sometimes we just send out dozens out indiscriminately to anyone with a generic message in them, instead write an encouraging message to someone whose helped you this year, someone you have only just got to know, you know nothing smalshy just encouraging and genuine.

Go shopping in a market – a traditional market often has different and imaginative things to make getting gifts for people more interesting, if you are buying food from a farmers markets, the goods may often be sometimes cheaper than the supermarkets, and you are getting something made locally and helping your local economy

Midnight mass – visit an old style church service, great, especially if its different from your normal church, often they are not to long, and singing carols and a couple of beers before hand in a pub across the road with a few friends is always good.

Cooking for other people – why not use the season, or after Christmas to do entertaining?

I was watching a brief glimpse of a 70s movie Smokey and the Bandit the other day, one of the amusing things about 1970s American rural towns is everyone has a CB radio in their car.  Its kind of like internet chat before the internet.  In cars.

People have a nickname and get lost in an imaginary world, but there is a kind of slightly rebelious community spirit, ie: warning other drivers theres a hidden police speedtrap ahead.

I wonder what happen if this was to happen in the 20×0’s on my commute to work, seeing I often see the same vehicles regulary.

(this is using some kind of hands free radio microphone and a small computer on the dash that tells you who is talking :o)

<bob in green focus> morning everybody.

<photocopierrepairmandave> morning mate.

<xx white van lady xx> hello cutie

<the_red_french_tractor>  (me)  hmm no snow then as predicted on the news, oh well, no accidents then :o)

<chav in a 1.2 corsa> does anyone like my new lexus rear lights?

<bob in green focus> no, they look stupid, did you get plenty of Halfords gift vouchers for Christmas to get tat for your car?

<xx white van lady xx> why thankyou Graham for being the first courteous BMW driver I have seen in a while

<Grahams blue 99 3 series> thats ok, woohoo I should reach my sales target this month!!

…and so on