... well maybe... starting work on Advent 1, circulating stuff for midweek reflections, searching the web for things for Christmas Eve (Christmas Day I haven't even begun to contemplate yet)... I have odd flutters of excitement, moments of frustration and generally a sense that I should be taking the chance to draw breath before it all gets going.

Last night I spent a happy hour wandering around the centre of Glasgow looking at the lights and admiring the huge nativity scene.  Initially cold and crisp, the weather turned to rain then sleet before the sky cleared to reveal a beautiful full moon.  There is something quite magical about cold, dark nights, punctuated by twinkling lights, cheeks reddened and noses nipped by the frosty air, something that carries me back to other times and other places, with other people ... and yet remains entirely contiguous (continuous?) with the here and now.  For sure, it is all a long way from what we purport to be recalling, but it is a defiant hopefulness in what otherwise would be a dark and gloomy time of year.

I have yet to do any Christmas shopping (so far I have a stack of cards waiting to be written and a few ideas of things to buy!) but I do know what I will be using for my perosnal reflection in Advent, which feels positive, and maybe even the right way round.

The next few weeks will be pretty manic, and I will revel in every moment of them, not becuase I must, but because I may.  From cookies to crafts to carols to contemplation, Advent 2013 is filled with promise and I am looking forward to it.