As Christmas approaches again we are all, it seems, inevitably caught up in the hype and hysteria as our ‘inboxes’ are bombarded by ‘Black Friday’ special offers from a multitude of retailers, plus the advertisements on TV, in newspapers and bill-boards. Then follows the rush to buy a ‘unique’ present for the lengthening list of recipients, not to mention Christmas cards, Christmas tree, Christmas lights and decorations. And of course there is the turkey, frozen or fresh? The vegetables, brussel sprouts or cauliflower? The sweet, profiteroles or black forest gateau? fresh cream or ice cream? and on and on …..
My ‘man’ approach to all this is, set a budget, make a list of ‘who’ and ‘what’ for cards and presents, then decide what decorations, food, and drinks are required, drive to the nearest shopping centre and buy them! But, I’m married, so my better half thinks we must first go around the shops to see what they have, and then choose! Guess who wins? 😉 The late Derick Bingham in his excellent little book ‘When the Storks Flew South’ starts by stating that ‘a recent study concluded that all of us face between 300 – 17,000 decisions every day’, and I think that in our house we are approaching the top end of the scale right now!
Bingham in his book looks at some of the major decisions made by men and women down through the centuries that changed the course of history! And here in the UK we are being told that as a nation we are facing such a choice as we approach the 12 December election. So what will the nation decide? Who should lead the nation? and in what direction? Should we have Brexit or no Brexit? a ‘Hard’ or a ‘Soft’ Brexit? Then there is the ‘trust’ question, who can we believe as we are promised an end to austerity and a huge surge in spending in everything from the NHS to police, from education to infrastructure, and from wages to pensions? Not to mention questions on Global warming, Scottish and Welsh Independence and the intractable question of the Irish border and Stormont?
If you are like me, I confess that I am not impressed with the options when it comes to proposed leaders, and I have some serious questions about some of their proposals, so for the first time ever I find myself in the ‘undecided’ camp!
But are any of these questions of ultimate importance? I video recorded my friend Andy Hunter giving a different slant on Christmas recently, and you can click on the link below to hear what he says, when it comes to ultimate questions.
Meantime I wish all my readers a very Happy Christmas, and God’s blessing in the New Year, whatever the nation may decide on December 12th!
Matthew
Matthew McKinnon's Blog 