Mid winter has always been a time to celebrate around the world. Centuries before the arrival of a man called Jesus, this was in fact a Pagan festival.
Europeans celebrated light and dark, and as most of the cattle had been slaughtered, this was the only time of year when there was fresh meat. In Scandinavia fathers and sons would bring home logs, which often would burn for twelve days, each spark delivering the promise of a new pig. In Germany people were so scared of the pagan God Oden, who they believed flew silently amongst them at night, deciding who would live and who would die, that they chose to stay in side.
So Jesus's timing was good that's all. He gate crashed a ready made party.
And how its changed... My little town of Emsworth, where earlier that day I'd shopped at the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker looked like Sin City last night. Things were broken. Puss and dried booze stained the pavement and the air was a mix of cheap aftershave and cigarette smoke. Pink skinned fully fuelled semi naked girls walked vagina first from pub to pub.
Tomorrow I will sail in an empty Chichester harbour. Bugger the sales and the cold, I'm going to pull off a few gybes and get back into it. After a tough 08 I'm looking forward to doing well in 09, but in order to perform at the Australian Nationals I'll have to forget I've been in a winter for several months. I'll have to fly like Oden.
On Friday I go to China. But tonight.. I'm going into Emsworth..
Merry Christmas
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