I had the benefits of a Church education. That didn’t mean much at the time apart from drawing lots of people in robes in our religious education lessons and being told that Jesus wouldn’t love us if we didn’t play nicely. Unfortunately for the eejit teacher who came out with that pearl of wisdom, I had been taught well so I informed her that Jesus loves everyone. That was the first time I was ever sent out of the classroom. I was seven and I made a lifelong friend in the process. I am still proud of myself for that.
My favourite thing about the church bits of school was the Christingle service every year that kicked off the Christmas festivities. It beat all the other services, even the ones where we got to carry a toy donkey, because it was a candlelit carol service and everyone got an orange. An orange with a candle stuffed in with a red ribbon tied around it and four cocktail sticks threaded with dried fruit piercing it. The perfect gift for the hungry, pyromaniac, scurvy suffering seven year old with a penchant for the fancy.
The orange is the world, the candle is Jesus as the light of the world and the ribbon and the fruit symbolise his blood and the four seasons. As a kid, I thought this a bit morbid but I loved Christingle. Everyone was nice to each other. It was a service of singing carols not hymns and thinking about what you could do for others. Add to that everyone being wrapped up warm and the stained glass being illuminated by hundreds of candles it is one of my earliest fizziest memories.
This year I will light the candles, stick on the Christmas tunes, hug my family and do what I can for these charities (Shelter, Refuge, British Red Cross). Wishing you all the fizzy feelings today.