Jon's blog: So this is Christmas...

As John Lennon famously remarked: "So this is Christmas, and what have you done? Another year over, and new one just begun". These words have resonated with me more this year than normal. What did we all do in 2020? All sorts of things and nothing! Michael MacIntyre had it right when he couldn't believe a fortune teller's predictions for the coming months – who'd have believed it if someone had told us all of this last January?!

But, as Lennon observed, the year (of 2020) is (finally) over. Another year, 12 months long like the ones before, with four seasons too. Yet also completely unlike any that I can remember, or perhaps in living memory. And – right again, John – the new one has just begun. It will also have 12 months and four seasons, but what else does it hold? So far, it feels much like the old one – with lockdown, schools closed and no idea what to expect over the next few weeks. Yay! Any more insights, Mr Lennon? No, I suspect I've just gone a little nutty listening to the same Christmas songs on repeat for a month.

I was struck over Christmas, though, by how unmoved the world, and Christmas itself, were by the pandemic. I suspect like us your Christmas looked quite different, especially not being able to see family and friends. That was hard and I don't want to underestimate that. I just got to thinking, as we went for a few walks to escape the house, how all of the trees, roads and rain were unaffected by the pandemic, just carrying on as they have done for years and will do for years to come; no issues with furloughing or lockdown. It's funny how unmoved nature can be about all of our crises (unless you're a Scandinavian mink, in which case you might feel very strongly about it).

And at home, despite the changes much was still the same – advent calendars, same carols, turkey, presents under the tree, cards on the wall, Muppet Christmas Carol on TV (that was for me, the kids endured it). And the story of Christmas remained the same too – the angels and shepherds and wise men, and baby Jesus born into the complexities of our world – God with us – to save us. Actually, that resonated more with me too this year, when everything feels such a mess.

Happily, it looks like we might now be turning a corner with vaccination even as numbers skyrocket. My mum has received her second jab, with more people to receive theirs in the coming weeks, so next Christmas might look very different again, and hopefully much more like "normal". It feels like we've lost a lot due to COVID-19, so I'll be glad to get some of the better things back.

Which got me to thinking – what other surprises will we have in the years to come?! I think someone might need to add some more verses to Mr Lennon's song.

Jon is the father of two delightful boys, with a fantastic wife who also works four days a week. They are both lawyers, and Jon has worked in the City for around 15 years as a solicitor in the insurance industry. He is now becoming an expert in Minecraft and Pokemon.

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