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Last week I went into a local shop here in London and heard Christmas music playing. “Wow,” I thought, “I haven’t heard Christmas music in a store since… since… since… Halloween!” …when I was still back in Chicago. It is nice to be in a place that knows how to keep Christmas in its place. <\/p>\n
Then today, I come up out of a Tube station and run into perhaps 20 carollers, laughing and singing and collecting donations for the homeless. They were obviously really enjoying the whole process. I’m all for the Salvation Army guys on the corners in Chicago with bells and buckets, but I’m thinking the carolling approach is really great.<\/p>\n
Christmas is coming to the Centre here, too. Wednesday of this week we, yes we here at the Buddhist Centre, will be hosting a big Christmas party for “carers” …folks taking care of elderly or otherwise disabled friends and family members. And yesterday, after the Tara Retreat ended, a couple of retreatants sat out in the courtyard, stoking what was left of the Fire Puja embers, singing “…chestnuts roasting on an open fire…” When somebody asked if they had any real chestnuts, they said “No, we’re tantras… we’re just visualizing them!”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Last week I went into a local shop here in London and heard Christmas music playing. “Wow,” I thought, “I haven’t heard Christmas music in a store since… since… since… Halloween!” …when I was still back in Chicago. It is nice to be in a place that knows how to keep Christmas in its place. … <\/p>\n