Christmas Together

She’s actually Christian, whereas I border on some depraved mix of Buddhism and shamanism –

Make that the only joke, and comb the essay for unintended comedy.

But I grew up celebrating Christmas, and I quite enjoy it.

You try and take it seriously, for her, not doing anything outrageous:

Small, thoughtful gestures –

Simple things, that anyone can do.

You make her breakfast, before she gets up, and bring her something to drink in bed.

You go to church together, and a children’s choir sings, “min hjert vil alltid vanker”, and she takes your hand:

These moments are branches in relationships –

The devil is a joke that breaks an unrelated stranger, too clever to make its intended target known, perhaps even unaware itself;

The awful grace of God, can be no different in a world like ours, routing out what is worst in us, drawing it to the surface, and destroying it, leaving only the unadulterated origin of our condition, grown from an act of unrequited generosity, and unconditional love.