Christmas Reflection – December 2025

Greetings from the Isle of Wight (a small island at the very south of England). This year seems to have flown past and I cannot believe it is almost Christmas. What does Christmas mean to you and what makes it a special time for your family?

In our family, it is a time to come together and enjoy all the festivities. We start the day opening stocking gifts found at the bottom of our beds and then after breakfast we go to church. It is a special time with our church family – we celebrate the birth of Jesus and share coffee & biscuits before we all go to our separate homes. Once home we have our Christmas dinner, watch the King’s speech on television before we open presents from under the tree. The remainder of the day is spent playing games & enjoy each other’s company.

We are fortunate as a family that we all get on well and enjoy sharing our faith. There are so many families where Christmas is all based on the commercial false celebrations that result in people struggling financially in the months following. How do we explain to the girls who come to Girls’ Brigade the true meaning of Christmas?

Let us go on a journey together – Relax, close your eyes – Imagine being able to board an aeroplane to fly to Bethlehem and during take-off you begin to travel back in time so when you land, you find yourself in a very busy town during a census. All the hotels, inns and guest houses are full, there are so many people wandering around, the noise is almost overwhelming, and the smells of food cooking is amazing.

Where do you go? Who do you meet? Take a stroll around. There are so many sights and sounds that you just want to find a quiet space and while wandering down a lane you come across a stable that looks very inviting. As you peer in you see a woman and a man both gazing into a manger (bit weird as that is the animals’ food trough). Suddenly it becomes very bright, there is a large bright star over the stable and then some shepherds arrive. Now that is strange as they are normally quite smelly and dirty – not welcome in the town – why would they leave their sheep alone on the hillside. You overhear them tell the young couple that angels had appeared to them saying a baby had been born and they should visit it.

Something special was going on but you are not sure. A bit later there were some more visitors to the stable. These visitors looked rich and said they had travelled from afar led by a star. They had gone to the palace expecting to see the baby born to be king! King Herod was apparently quite disturbed by the news a king had been born, he wanted to know more and sent the visitors to search for the baby and then tell him where to find it.
What is going on you wonder! I wish I could find out more ………

With a stretch and a yawn, you wake up and realise it had all been a dream. Hold on to the excitement you felt being there and seeing it all for yourself. How can you share that wonder and amazement with the girls in your Girls’ Brigade group – now there is a challenge.

Enjoy the build up throughout advent. Read scripture – relive your dream as the words remind you of our Saviour’s birth and then see how you can demonstrate God’s love for us all through your words and actions towards your GB girls and the people in your community.

Enjoy advent, enjoy Christmas and enjoy sharing the good news with your family and friends.

May God bless you all throughout the Christmas period and bring you good health & happiness in the New Year

Every blessing
Betty