Christmas Days: 12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days

by Jeanette Winterson

Why would it be worse to be in darkness I had not chosen than darkness I was choosing?

There’s a great term for that – the old present. These things happened in the past, but they’re riding right up front with us every day.

There’s always that first, terrible New Year when our loved one won’t be here. It’s good just to sit quietly in that place of loss and sadness, and let the feelings be the feelings. Those memories are liquid; we cry.

We’re humans, not machines. We have bad days. We have mental difficulties. We are inspired, yet we fail. We are not linear. We have hearts that break and souls we don’t know what to do with. We kill and destroy but we build and make possible too. We’ve been to the moon and invented computers. We outsource most things but we still have to live with ourselves. We’re pessimists who believe it’s too late so what the hell? We’re the comeback kids in love with second chances. And every New Year is another chance.

And light a candle to miracles, however unlikely, and pray that you recognise yours.