We’ve all grown tired of the term, “Christmas is coming,” surely, so I’m proposing a new one—“Boxing Day is coming.” Most people use the former saying as a way of pressing people to finish a task they started in February that remains to be finished in June. Well, mine’s a literal hope.
Boxing Day is all about the relaxation of ‘sitting in’ and reflecting over the day before; all the hype of Christmas Day. This is a hectic day for families where people inevitably travel large distances on the day in order to see each other. For us, there are numerous trips on the day, and provided it’s not too hot, these trips too allow for some light reflection.
So, what else is it about Boxing Day? Well, there’s day one of the Boxing Day cricket test from the Melbourne Cricket Ground to look forward to. There’s also the start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. It’s got a really tangible holiday festive feel about it has Boxing Day.
But, there’s more to it from a spiritual angle. The very act of taking time out to view a distant event—a time not normally thought of this far out—helps the mind engender for the heart feelings of imminent joy and hope, even in the midst of other hurrying activities in our present day.
And we mustn’t forget hope. Hope buoys our faith and keeps our lives afloat. If we tend to be the ones scooping pails of lapping water out of our boats of faith from time to time, we’ll recognise just how important this ‘little thing’ of hope is.
This exercise of reflection and day-dreaming: as we can see, it’s important; we need to find time for it.
© S. J. Wickham, 2009.
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