"Christmas is cancelled this year!"

So said a hospital worker being interviewed on the news this week. The cost of living is going up and up, but her salary isn't. So this year (and probably next year too) she simply can't afford to celebrate Christmas.

These are tough times. On Tuesday this week Chancellor George Osborne told us the UK economy is doing even worse than we feared. And on Wednesday 1000s of public sector workers were striking over their salaries, pensions, etc. The future looks bleak. If Christmas is a luxury, then we'll just have to make do without it for the time being.

But wait a minute - what is Christmas anyway? Is it really meant to be a season of hectic celebrations, rushing around and over indulging ourselves? Do we really have to max out the credit card to appreciate it?

Perhaps many can no longer afford the 'fake Christmas', but the real Christmas actually comes free. It's God's gift to us - His Presence, rather than our presents.

So let's pray for ourselves, and for those around (indeed the whole nation), that despite, indeed through the hardship we may discover afresh the true joy and peace God gives us in Christ the Saviour. This has not been cancelled!

Yours in Him, 

Dan