(St Catwg's; not this Christmas, though)
On Christmas day, somewhere between the King's Arms and St Catwg's Church in the nice little village of Pentyrch, I thought of a local Christian friend of mine*, whom I hadn't even bothered to wish a merry Christmas. I kept walking towards him though, it seemed, one way or another: I was just in the middle** of making another- after many years since the last one - of my Grand Walking Tours of Caridff (incorporating Llandaff Cathedral, Catsle Coch, Gwaelod-y-Garth and the Garth itself) and soon I was to head straight for the city centre and end up close - if you took our faith into account - to where he lived.
I worried for a second about my neglect, before I realised it had been, accidentally, a very thoughtful thing not to do. Because to wish a Christian a merry Christmas would be to bother him with something utterly redundant or making a high-Church error; it's either like saying "I wish you merry joy" or it's suggesting that the day on which we celebrate the arrival of the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace, born as a child to us*** might be dull and miserable; it's like saying "the Sun is bright" or it's like asking a believer: "Does Christ's resurrection give you hope?" ("No. Actually, it depresses me..."). So, Peter, from now on, instead of bothering you with redundant verbiage in the best case and a fallacy in the worst one, on Christmas Day I'll say to you - and any other Christian: "Now that the Hope of Salvation has arrived among us as, I wish you lower taxes!"
*I hope he hasn't lost me - he lent me.. - or let's leave it (I don't mean un-repaid, but undiscussed, for a moment; until it ceases to be an issue).
**as it was to turn out; there and then I thought I was much more advanced. I arrived home late at night, knackered as a middle-aged horse.
***written a few hundred years before the birth of the Wonderful Councelor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace!
PS And as to all those cards - send them to your local M.P. to urge him to be born again and then lower those... - no, not in such terms during the festive season... - taxes!!
PS Having said which, I have to admit that I kept greeting nearly everyone I met that day with a "Merry Chirstmas" or just reacted with the same if pre-empted. I just hope all of them were heathen and we didn't use the Lord's name in vain.
Picture: St Catwg's Church, Pentyrch; courtesy of BBC News (I do - strangely... - pay the extortionate BBC tax).
