Everything used to be better

"Everything used to be better" is a phrase we hear a lot. My bishop recently mentioned in the policy plan that we should stop saying this. It's not forward-thinking. I was reminded of this when I ordered something online on Christmas Eve. I received all kinds of warnings that it wouldn't arrive in time for Christmas. And apologies that it might be delayed because the mail carriers and parcel delivery services are also very busy.

As I mused, I thought back to when we were children and ordered something, it was delivered by the mail carrier instead of the parcel delivery service. You ordered something and had no idea where the package was or when it would arrive. As I pondered this, I felt like an old man. That I am already thinking back to how things were in my youth.

But thinking back even further, I also realized that experiencing Christmas was always different than how I do it now. In the past, with my parents, it was always about gifts and good food. Of course, we also went to church, but it was always a bit of both. How the world celebrates Christmas and what it's really about: the birth of Christ. Because for most people today, that's not what it's about, or if they even know that it's about Jesus.

Since I've had to miss my father at Christmas dinner, the worldly joy of Christmas has evaporated somewhat. For me, it's now much more about the birth of our Emmanuel, the Savior of the world. The preparations this year were very intense and culminated in the spectacle of Holy Christmas Eve. The angels singing and the dregs of society, those smelly shepherds who were the first to pay homage to the newborn child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. It all sounds so romantic, but it wasn't. And even now, there are people who are lonely at Christmas. For example, because their children are not coming home or because they are missing a loved one. Or, for some, both.

This may not have turned out to be such a cheerful blog. But still, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a blessed 2026.