By Benjamin Fearn
As I write this, it’s hard to find the correct balance. Do you be cynical but prepared for when disappointment happens, or do you look forward to things ‘getting better’ and having your hopes dashed? This has been the case for most of us throughout the pandemic. Christmas 2020 felt like the long, slow, painful return to inevitable restrictions.
Here in the UK, there wasn’t a semblance of normality from January 2021 until mid April – where non essential shops were allowed to reopen and outdoor hospitality was allowed. Given the sacrifices made by so many and the hardships suffered mentally and physically, it has been a massive temptation to look ahead to a vastly improved Christmas this year. There’s no doubt we’re in a better position this Christmas thanks to the heroic vaccination efforts, but nevertheless the vast spread of the Omicron Covid variant and rising infection rates has meant that this has been the second Christmas in a row where we’ve all anxiously checked the news for the ‘L’ word: lockdown.
I’ve sympathised with people urging us to ‘switch off the news’ and try to focus on ourselves, but that’s so hard at a time of global crisis. In my professional life it’s also difficult to switch off the news given that I’m a journalist! At times like this it’s tempting (and I’m guilty of this) to wish part of our lives away; to fast-forward a few months to warmer weather and (hopefully) lower Covid infection rates. It’s important to look to the future, but the here and now is vital as well. Focusing on our loved ones and those we hold dear. Solidarity and friendship.
Remembering those we’ve lost. These are all key Christmas themes – whether secular or religious. I hope you can all find some time of joy and happiness this Christmas, even as we battle on through this awful pandemic. Treasure those little mercies and bits of good news that we cling to. As I finish I’ll leave you with a passage from Matthew 11: 28-30, and the hope that sustains us as Christians: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”