We’ve arrived at the final door of the Meery Christmas Advent Calendar! Day 25 is opened, to reveal the sparkling joy of Christmas Day!

Christmas Day is the date that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It is heralded as an extremely holy occasion, and today, many Churches around the world will be packed with worshippers singing hymns and absorbing the moment.

I am not especially religious, and nor is my family, however the significance of the date is not lost on me, and the story of the birth of Christ is among the most soothing, beautiful stories within the Bible’s pages. There is a strong sense of peace that comes from that story.

Before I recount what a typical Christmas Day looks like for me, I wish to relay the tale of my first Christmas with my wife. It was 2004, and she came with me to a big family gathering. It was a classic Berwick family Christmas, the sort of occasion I grew up, and absolutely love.

What took my wife by surprise was how half of us went down to the pub on Christmas morning. Pubs are often open in the morning, and do a lot of business, whilst the atmosphere is often quite pleasant and happy. We haven’t done it since then, but if you get the chance, you will be pleasantly surprised by the experience!

For me, Christmas Day’s meaning has changed down the years. As a small cub, it was all about the presents, followed by the food! As a mature meerkat, it is now about the family time, and yeah, the food! There is still an element of Christmas that is about the gifts, though it is as much about giving them as receiving them. I love to see the look on my loved one’s faces as they open a gift that they (hopefully!) are pleasantly surprised by. Following the exchange of presents comes the dinner, which is usually followed by a food coma, and there is also the mission to transport the gifts upstairs (or wherever they need to go). A lot of time goes into stuffing recycling sacks with wrapping paper (it is quite amazing as to how many sacks we can fill!).

After all of that, we’ll watch some telly, consider yet more food (there is so much snack food and party food at this time of year), and unwind in each other’s company. There will be a pile of washing up to do, but that can wait. It’s all about the moment, and the family time, on this special day.