WE all harbour our own feelings on Christmas. Some like it, others don’t. You might not be in the mood for it and you probably aren’t ready for it, but unless you take off to some far-flung corner of the globe you certainly won’t be able to escape the seasonal festivities.

Over the coming days, most of us will find ourselves jostling with other shoppers along Grafton Street, doing our best to fulfil a whole host of social commitments and resolving not to count the financial cost of this increasingly expensive holiday until the dust has settled sometime in early January.

We’ll never get the better of Christmas because it doesn’t offer us a choice; the best one can do is get on with things and hope that it all runs (relatively) smoothly.

The essence of Christmas is altogether different from the grand event that is the holiday season. Most of us look forward to spending time with family and catching up with old friends.

Christmas provides that much-needed relief from the mundane aspects of our lives and although it brings much enjoyment, there is a lot of hard work required in order to make it happen. Christmas acts as the shining light in the midst of the darkest season on Earth, lifting our hearts with the promise of what is yet to come. Let’s make it a time of hope and joy, of birth and renewal.