Another Christmas and New Year period has come and gone and now we’re back at work and eagerly anticipating and hanging out for another holiday (although with a new blog design implemented, in keeping with the ‘New Year’).

Christmas is always a bit of an odd time of the year. I have long held the view that Christmas is over-commercialised and not even a particularly significant Christian celebration – although my view on that one changed a bit this year. In the past I was of the opinion that Jesus’ death and resurrection were the focus of the early Christians, as demonstrated throughout the New Testament, and that a celebration of Jesus’ birth never really gets much of a mention. Never mind the evidence that Jesus’ wasn’t actually born on 25 December and that Christmas seems to have been put on that date as a continuation of earlier pagan festivals. I always appreciated the family aspect of Christmas – spending wonderful time with extended family more than at any other time of the year – but thought it was all a bit overdone. This year, I still think it’s overdone, but have a renewed appreciation of the wonder and significance of the incarnation – what an amazing thing it is that the God of everything would willingly choose to enter into our world, take on human flesh and frailty and experience in the body the life of a human, before finally giving it up in a painful, undeserved death – and all that because he loved us. Amazing.

Tegan and I hosted family Christmas for the first time ever in our new house. My immediate family came down to stay on the weekend before Christmas and we had our traditional Christmas Eve gathering with just the five of us. On Christmas Day we went to church, were Tegan was always leading the singing, and then we hosted the feast for the extended family on my Mum’s side. We had such a great day! It was one of the best Christmas gatherings I can remember – the food was great, everyone got along really, really well, we didn’t overdo the presents too much (instituting a “secret santa” style gift giving arrangement), and it was just a good relaxing day: food, drink, cricket in the park – all good.

Two days later we also hosted a Christmas gathering for Tegan’s family in Canberra, so we had ten at lunch that day (a little easier than the thirteen on Christmas day). This was also a good day in all the same kind of ways. The rest of the week was pretty quiet after that (well, the bit of the week that was left) although we also had a quiet but fun gathering of friends for a BBQ and games (including backyard croquet) on New Years Eve. And then it was back to work on 2 January.

So far, this year has involved:

• Larissa coming to stay with us for a week
• Our good friend Lisa staying with us for a couple of days before she moves overseas
• A couple of BBQs and social evenings, with much Singstar! and Guitar Hero (particularly since I got Guitar Hero 2 for Christmas, now giving us two guitar controllers and allowing great multiplayer action)
• Tegan being involved in wedding preparations for her sister, Bec, and cousin, Bess, both of whom are getting married this year and at both of whose weddings Tegan will be a bridesmaid (bridesmatron?)
• Work, unfortunately, although with a decision not to move to Melbourne for a different job

We’re also taking three weeks leave after Australia Day, most of which will be doing nothing kind of time, except that we’re going to Adelaide for a few days to go to the Big Day Out.