23 October
Yesterday Jason Leitch said openly that Christmas this year will not be the same as we have been used to. Politicians and the media reacted vociferously. Maybe they feel they have to. But with current levels of infection, past experience of the way in which ‘spikes’ can occur, and seeing the UK government put measures in place for 6 months or so, do we really expect everything to be as it used to be at Christmas? Hope yes, but expect…? It can be painful to admit that life is not going to go back to the ‘old normal’ in a few weeks or months; to come to terms with the idea that in nine to twelve months we may still have restrictions; and that in the longer term we may never get back to that ‘old normal’. It’s good to hope, it’s good to dream, but it’s also good to be ready to face reality and begin to plan for that.
PS Glad Santa is a ‘key worker’. Three cheers for all key workers!
Lord, facing reality and unpalatable news (and not just about Covid-related restrictions) is always hard – we have an in-built ability to hope and dream. Help us to cope with the challenges of coming to terms with unpalatable news, and to help and support each other in doing so too