Britain's Panel People...

Over the past couple of years I have made a lot of new friends. They are a group of people most of my loved ones know very little about. Amongst them are Noel, Jimmy, Lee, Sarah, and my bestie - David. The sad truth however, is that I only know them through the glory of YouTube - as they are all regulars on British panel shows.

I love British comedy, but I love British panel shows even more. I must admit that there are many reasons not to like them. They can be very crude (even offensive), I probably have very different views than the guests on them, and you often see the same people over  and over again on the shows anyway. But inspite of all that - I love them.
I have tried to analyse why this might be and have come up with a few plausible reasons:

• Perhaps it is because I can just have them playing in the background while I'm making dinner as they don't require too much attention.
• Perhaps it is because the humour can be biting, silly, sarcastic and intelligent. (Like me!)
• Perhaps it helps me keep in touch with what is going on in Britain, because I am a fan of most things Brit and hope to go back there one day - even if it is to retire.
• Perhaps because each panel show can stand on its own. I don't need to have seen last week's episode and it doesn't end with a cliffhanger leaving me desperate to find out what happens next week. (I stopped watching shows like that after the first season of Lost.)

But the simple fact is that I love these shows because the people on them are very, very funny, which makes them very, very likeable.

Through YouTube, I have been introduced to so many comedians at their best. Some of my favourite panel show moments are not when questions are being answered but when the guests are free to banter amongst themselves. You could argue that the banter is the whole point of these shows, not the questions.

I read an article a while ago declaring that it was time to put a stop to the numerous panel shows. But when I read this week that we will soon have a brand new show hosted by my all-time favourite panel show regular - David Mitchell - called 'Was it Something I Said' I could not help but feel a sense of excitement at the thought of another panel show to add to my YouTube viewing. Yet I am very aware that so many people do not know the joy of the panel show, so here are my top five to get you started:

1. Would I Lie To You
I am starting with my absolute favourite. Would I Lie To You is hosted by Rob Brydon. There are two teams - one led by Lee Mack and the other by David Mitchell. The reason this show in particular stands above the rest in my mind is largely due to the chemistry between these three, but also their individual moments of brilliance.  (Which is why I avoid the first two seasons as they were hosted by Angus Deaton. Not a fan.) 
The premise is simple - someone in the opposing team will read a statement and the other team asks them questions to determine whether the person is telling the truth or a lie.
It has a broad appeal as it is 'PG', as opposed to the 'AO' shows further down the list.
I have so many favourite moments that I was tempted to give you a whole episode. But this is probably my favourite moment from all seven series so far. If you only check out one show on my list make it this one. So here you go. You're welcome: Would I Lie to You - Kevin Bridges

 

2. Never Mind the Buzzcocks

The title of this musical panel show is inspired by the Sex Pistols album Never Mind the Bullocks. 26 seasons have aired in 17 years. I first started watching it when it was hosted by Mark Lemarr, who was replaced with guest hosts for a season before Simon Amstell took the helm for four seasons. Since his departure a new guest host is featured each week. Hosts have varied from David Hasselhoff, Martin Freeman, Neyo and a plethora of Brits. However, in my opinion the addition of Noel Fielding as a Team Captain has made this show must-see YouTube viewing.
Although there are set rounds - including the Intros Round, the Identity Parade and Next Lines - the show often reflects the anarchy of its namesake.
No musician is safe from the jibes of the hosts and guests - even if they are on the show at the time. The opportunity to mock the B and C list guests is embraced, which surprisingly has only led to one walk-off.

Here is a clip of Josh Groban appearing in series 22. It is a great example of how this show combines music and humour, and provides an opportunity to see some celebs in a new light. (By the way, if you like Josh Groban as a guest, be sure to check him out as a host. He is surprisingly great.)

 

3. The Big Fat Quiz of the Year

The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2011

This show does what it says on the tin  - it is an annual quiz, shown every December celebrating the year's events, and is hosted by the funny and controversial Jimmy Carr. There have been some specials (the Big Fat Quizes of the 80s, 90s and Noughties) but usually we have to wait for the end of the year to enjoy this hour and a half quiz.
Three pairs of Brit celebs and comedians make up the teams. Once again, it is the chemistry and banter between everyone that makes this show great.  Frequent guests have included David Walliams, David Mitchell, Jonathan Ross, Noel Fielding and Russell Brand. This snippet is from last year's Big Fat Quiz of the Noughties.

4. Room 101

The title of this show is inspired by the torture room in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. It is the perfect show for a grumpy raver like me. Celebrity guests are invited to discuss their pet hates and try to convince the host to consign them to 'Room 101'.

Originally this show was a one-on-one interview but was revamped to the panel show format in 2012. Obviously as a panel show fan, I believe that it is all the better for it. Check this out to get a small taste of Room 101.

5. 8 Out of 10 Cats
Another Jimmy Carr hosted show - this time one that usually starts with looking at the events of the week, not the year. To be honest, my favourite episodes of this show are actually when they have been mashed together with another classic British show - Countdown, for their 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Specials.
Normally however the show uses statistics and opinion polls as the basis of its questions. This show is full of moments when you'll laugh and then say to yourself, "I probably shouldn't laugh at that!" (Not surprising, with Jimmy Carr leading the charge.)
They do not shy away when even the host is the subject of one of the weeks main talking points either. Jimmy Carr got himself into a bit of trouble in 2012 when it was discovered that he was using a legal loop-hole to pay only 1% tax. Gary Barlow from Take That was criticised as well, but as Jimmy Carr has taken the piss out of the government a lot (although to be fair - he takes the piss out of everyone), he got most of the attention. Including, as you'll see in this clip, from his panel show team captains.

 

So that's my top five - and it doesn't even include the great classic panel shows; such as QI, Have I Got News for You or the inspiration behind 7 Days - Mock the Week. Although they have all been known to make me giggle every now and then as well. So if my top five don't do it for you, try those ones out, and keep looking because no matter what your humour - there is a UK panel show to suit everyone.

I Swear

Contents may offend. Proceed with care.

My 8 year old twin girls have a new catchphrase. It is “What the H?”

Not “What the hell?” or “What the heck?” They actually say “What the H?”

I think they started off saying “What the heck” but were convinced by a family member that this was just like saying “What the hell” which is bad apparently.

It is funny to hear their first innocent attempts at swearing. I know it shouldn’t be funny, especially as a mum who is trying to set a good example for her kids.

Swearing can be a bit of a grey area though, and I’ve never read any advice about it. People just have different standards and make up the rules as they go along - like parenting in general really.

It was not a grey area when I was a kid though. It was a completely no-go zone. My mother could really display her wrath if we dared swear. (Even when I innocently asked her what a particular Samoan word meant.)The irony was that one her favourite movies is Beverly Hills Cop. Who can blame her? It’s a classic - but it contains several F-Bombs.

Recently my dad sheepishly confessed to me that he swore in front of my kids.

“Oh dear!” I said, feigning shock. “What did you say?” (That is – “What can I blame on you later?”)
“I said ‘bloody’” he confessed.

“Oh, is that all.”

Little did he know that his two year old grandson was saying “What the f@#k!” at one point after a certain Huz, I mean a certain person said that in front of him. Even though it is hilarious hearing a toddler say “What the f@#k” - I realise it is also completely wrong. (So please stop judging me.)

The rules and standards around swearing continue into adulthood and like a lot of things, it can be linked to childhood. I have a funny story to illustrate this. (Brace yourself.)

I don’t really say ‘f@#k, as in my upbringing it would literally result in having your mouth washed out with soap.
(By the way, I don’t know why I bother typing ‘f@#k’ because we all know that when you see ‘f@#k’, you are not reading ‘F-at sign-hash tag-k’. You are reading, well we know what you are reading. But I will keep up the polite pretence.)

So as I was saying even though I don’t often use that word, there is another word, that I did not hear until I was an adult, and I didn’t realise that some people find it even more shocking than ‘the F word’. Not until I encouraged someone to tell a story that involved this word.
"Tell the c@#t story!" I said.
I really made an impression.

The word that I find most hurtful is ‘bitch’. I have been called that twice in my adult life (to my face anyway) in very different circumstances and both times it felt like a knife to the heart. Strangely though, I don’t have much of a problem hearing it in movies or on TV, so it is not the word itself that is offensive.

On a similar note, I barely find the word ‘shit’ offensive at all. But I do not want to say it around my kids.

When it comes to ‘the F word’ there is definitely only a certain number of times I can hear it in a movie until I feel like my ears are being polluted. I call that the Beverly Hills Cop Barometer.

The phrase that I find most offensive is when people use ‘Jesus Christ’ as a swear word. When I hear that, I secretly whisper “Is Lord”. However, I often say “Oh Lord” so what is the difference? Well, in my heart I know that I am actually crying out for help, but I suppose other people may not know that, others may think I am swearing. So does that mean I should stop saying it?

So you see, it is quite complicated this swearing business.
When does a swear word become a swear word?

Is saying “What the heck?” really as bad as saying “What the hell?” because the intent is still there? If that is true then I am doomed to failure. Some of my favourite phrases would be treated as swear words because instead of the stock-standard curses, I revert to a long list of alternatives; which include Crickey Malikey, Monkeys, Jeez Louise, Scheisse, Crap, Fudge Nugget, Buggery Bollocks and more.

When I swear, I am usually stressed and these words and phrases kind of cheer me up in a weird way. Are they that bad? Ok Buggery bollocks is pretty bad, but are the others really that bad?

I long time ago someone challenged me regarding this very subject.

I said “Oh fudge!” in front of a lovely Christian girl who then said to me, “Why do you say that? Don’t you know that it is just as bad as the other word because of the way you’re saying it?”

Being far too cheeky for my own good, I replied, “You’re right. Oh fuck!”
It turns out she was wrong. “Oh fudge” was much better.
She was not amused but I thought it was funny as H.
 

 

When the cat's away...the mouse has no life

This week I have had the pleasure of being able to do a 'Macaulay Culkin'. Not the person you understand. Not someone like that person either. Crap let me just rephrase.
 
This week I have been home alone.
 
My four little ones have been away with their amazing grandparents (I have to say that to try and get them to take the kids next school holidays). Anyway, as I was saying, the kids have been away with their unbelieveably incredible grandparents while The Huz has been away for work.
 
Now you would think that when a fun and vibrant young woman is given a week to herself she would make the most of it by catching up with friends, tinkering around the house, perhaps taking time out to spoil herself with a massage or some shopping. I am certain that a fun and vibrant young woman would do that.
 
I did not.
 
I am a sometimes fun, often tired 33 year old woman. I know that's not many years - but I feel each and every one of them. And quite frankly, this time away from my family has been terrible for my self-esteem.
 
As a working mother it is so easy to blame the messy house, the loss of friendships and the lack of time for yourself on the kids. So a week on my own should have been the perfect opportunity to get a life.

But my week has been filled with work, more work than usual actually, and I am kicking myself over the lost chances to do the things that I complain about not having time to do.
 
The house is still a mess, I have not been to the gym this week, and the only friends I have seen are the ones I work with. Not that that is a bad thing, but I have only seen them at work. There have been no after work drinks or dinners. There has been NO going out and having fun!
 
Perhaps these things don't actually happen. Perhaps TV and movies and even friends have been lying to me. Maybe I have been carrying around the mistaken belief that when I go home I am missing out on something.
 
The thing is I have been married since I was 19 - that is 13 years of my short life. I would not change that for the world but it does mean that I do not know how the other half lives.
 
The other half being singletons. Or even couples without children for that matter because I have not known that life for over 8 years.
 
My assumption (and perhaps fantasy) is that after work these people meet up with friends at a different place each night - perhaps your friend's place, perhaps your's, perhaps the newest restaurant. Or even 'your place' that you guys always hang out at. You know the one. You've got your own booth. The staff know your names and your drinks. Last Christmas you even hung out their till the early hours sharing stories, laughter, gifts, eggnog and there wasn't a single child around to ruin...Sorry the fantasy is going too far. Moving on.
 
Perhaps after dinner you go to a concert or a comedy show. Or you just go home to your lovely, clean, streamlined, trendy house and have a bubble bath with a glass of wine before going to bed so you can get up early and go to the gym.
 
That is the life you single people lead right? It's probably even better for you young childless couples because you get the sex as well. And you're allowed to be loud. Bastards.
 
So you can imagine my dissapointment at the week I have had.
 
I went to see Iron Man 3.

It was great.
 
The end.
 
But wait  - that is not the end because don't even get me started on the food side of the week! How the heck do you cook for just one person? I have been living on crackers all week!
 
I know that at the heart of this problem is poor time management.
 
I could have easily got myself organised and arranged to have dinner with friends, planned a special meal just for myself and gotten a facial. But instead I worked a lot, did not clean the house, baked a cake for my wonderful workmates (I had a lot of love stored up that needed to be released), watched a lot of YouTube and wrote this blog.
 
The week has flown by and at the end of it I am left with the knowledge that my lack of social life and my messy house is my own fault and no one elses. How dare that family of mine get me to come to that realisation! They will be in so much trouble when they get home, which will be pretty soon. And it won't just be them walking through the door. They'll bring with them all their luggage making the house even more messy, their dirty clothes for me to clean, the peace and quiet will be scared away by talking, fighting and screaming, and any time to myself that I was able to appreciate will be gone!
 
They are all back tomorrow. I can't wait!
 

 

 
 
 

 

 

What I wish I had said to the angry man in McDonalds

Yesterday I had the joy of spending the whole day with my youngest daughter. She was well overdue for some one-on-one mummy attention, and to start our day I told her that we could go to breakfast at the restaurant of her choice. She is five so she chose McDonalds.

My local Maccas has the distinction of being known as have the slowest service in South Auckland, and yesterday was no exception. The staff looked very busy but no one was seeing the fruits of their labour, or the McMuffins of their labour for that matter. However, I was very aware of the fact that I was starting out on what I was hoping to be a lovely day with my little girl, so it was not hard to see waiting longer than expected for our breakfast combos as rather insignificant in the scheme of things.

You’ve got to pick your battles. Sure the service was terrible, but I’m not going to let waiting for a bagel ruin my day.

I was able to put this into perspective, but I could tell that some of the patrons were not. Tensions were rising. The natives were getting restless.

One man in particular was quite vocal about the fact that he was not happy that his family’s order of four hotcake combos had taken seven minutes. Fair enough.

This guy had a very kiwi look about him. Short shorts, tank top, tattoos on his arms, unshaven, beer belly. One of the Bush Whackers basically. He was there with his lady friend and two kids who looked very respectable, around the ages of 12 and 10.

He made his dissatisfaction known to everyone. So he received an apology from the manager, but apparently the apology she gave was not good enough. (I wonder what type of apology would satisfy for such an indiscretion?)

I did not hear what she said, but I’m guessing it was something like “I’m sorry” which in his words – ‘was not good enough’. Apparently he knew that she ‘wasn’t really sorry’ and she ‘should be ashamed her herself.’ (We obviously have very different views on what is worthy of shame.)

At this point the Maccas Manager and surrounding staff began defending themselves, saying there is nothing more than could do but say sorry.

Then he broke loose yelling profanities and racial slurs. Like great Maccas staff – they actually did the same back, but they were certainly not as experienced in being profane as the Bush Whacker was.

Not a great start to Mummy-Daughter Day to say the least. In that moment,  the thoughts that tend to race around your head were doing sprints around mine. Should I step in? What should I say? What will he do to me? Would I just make it worse? What will my little girl think if I do? What will she think if I don’t?

In the end all I could do was shout out asking him to watch his language. His lady friend was not impressed with me and told him so, but they quickly walked out of the restaurant. It was all over in seconds – well apart from the 7 minute wait that caused the situation.

For a few minutes afterwards I had running in my mind all the things that I could have said to this man – but now I can’t. But hey – I have a blog! So here is what I wish I had said to the angry man in McDonalds:

“Excuse me. I understand that you are angry. I completely agree with you that the service here is shocking, but your behaviour right now is far surpassing it. Don’t you realise that the way you are behaving and the language that you are using, including the blatant racism you are displaying is taking away from your valid complaint. Do you not own a thesaurus? Because trust me, there are plenty of other words you can use to express your anger.

But also, consider what you are getting yourself in to such a state about. You are letting a long wait for hotcakes ruin your mood and your morning. Breakfasts here are not even that good! Certainly not good enough for you to allow waiting for them to have this effect on you.

But the worst thing about what you are doing is that you are doing this in front of my child. I don’t know if you have noticed – but this is called a Family Restaurant – and you may behave and speak like this in your family but I certainly do not do this in mine. And if what you are doing right now is acceptable to you – I challenge you to look at the faces of the children you have brought with you this morning. I can tell just by looking at them that you have sent them on a journey from embarrassment to fear, and you have not even taken the time to check in on them. That is what you should truly be ashamed of.

If you do not care about what these kids think of you and the impact that you are having on them, then do you know what you represent to me? Everything that is wrong with South Auckland.

Why don’t you gain some self-respect and become a role-model for these kids? If you can’t do that, then at the very least, if you are ever in this situation again, remind yourself not to let a seven minute wait for hotcakes turn you into such a disgrace.”

In my imagination he would then be in tears thanking me for making him see the error of his ways. Yet I know that there is no way that a man like that would have let me say all of this. But what if he had? We’ll never know.

The Irish Politician Edmund Burke said, “‎Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” That has been on my mind since yesterday.

It is interesting to me that I would have challenged the Bush Whacker to behave differently if this situation arose again, because that is the same challenge that I walked away with.

I regret not saying more. I just didn’t think quick enough, plus I had my little girl with me so it was probably wise to stay out of it.

Hopefully someone will say this to him one day. That is my hope for him and for all of the people like him in South Auckland. That will take a very good person being very brave and thinking very fast – faster than me anyway.

Life's a Beach in Auckland

I have great memories of the beach from my childhood. Every New Year’s Day my family would travel to a beach over the shore (it wasn’t till I was in my teens that I discovered there were beaches closer to home). We would leave home at 9am and get home at 6pm. Each year the day had such a routine that it is all merged as one in my memory. Packing magazines, books, cds or tapes and a walkman, laying out the towel, having a swim, eating lunch – probably with sand in it, playing in the sand, having another swim, going for a walk, going home. This was quality time in my family and I loved it.

I have been lucky enough to have been on a few beaches around the world. Some of the best were in Barbados. On this amazing island there is an ocean for every type of beach-goer. From large waves to completely flat. It was in Barbados that I discovered that not all countries were like NZ, and if you happened to wander onto them and make yourself comfortable, you soon found people coming up to you asking for payment. It shocked this Kiwi that it is common practice in other parts of the world that you have to pay to go to the beach – or to use one of the chairs.

I was amazed to find that one of the most beautiful beaches I have been to was in England. Beaches in the UK conjure up images of cold, stones and pebbles. But this was certainly not the case in St Ives in Cornwall. This was a significant place to us as it was where the hubby’s family originally came from, and so it appropriately was the first time that our baby twins had been to a beach. And what a beautiful beach it was! Golden sands, clear blue ocean, green surroundings. It was like the little Kiwis got a taste of home in what was actually their ancestors’ home. I really liked that idea.

My worst experience on a beach was on a Spanish Island. The one week holiday was wonderful. It was mine and the hubby’s first trip overseas with our baby twins. We did what seemed like the very Brit thing to do, which is purchase a package holiday at a lovely resort, but being Kiwis we wanted to explore the island as well. That is how we ended up on a beach. At least I assume it was a beach. There was sand, but we could not see the sea. The reason for this was that we were sitting on chairs that were in the fifth row back from the water. All the rows in front of us were full of people.

I could not understand it. All these people were at the beach but could not see the ocean – and they were ok with that. Beaches are supposed to be relaxing places but this stressed me out. I was angry that I could not see the water and I was angry at the hundreds of people on the beach who clearly thought that this was normal!

I went to the beach with the hubby and our four today. We went to Maraetai. I have heard people grown when I mention this beach. Not a happy grown either. The grown is usually followed by references to how busy it is.

I loved it.

Today is January 2^nd so most Aucklanders are still on holiday, and nearly all of them are at a beach. This made me love it even more.  I don’t think you could find many beaches in the world where you are surrounded by so much culture. Just in our area we had Indians, Asians, Fijians, Samoans and Europeans. A walk down the beach found many more cultures.

There were some people their just with their immediate family – like us, while others groups numbered up to 30 people.

The variety was not only evident in nationalities. Some people were just lying out on towels, while others had enough mats out to cover a small house. Some people had brought small tents to get some cover from the wind and sun, while others looked like they were in for the long-haul, with massive tents, tarpaulins and marquees. A group close to us was like that. They had created swings in the trees with platforms to fit up to three kids. They had brought a massive barbeque as well, and with the toilets not far away, I wouldn’t be surprised to find them still there tomorrow.

Along the beach you could run into people playing rugby, cricket, soccer, flying kites or just throwing a ball around. One group was even taking turns throwing themselves around – picking each other up one by one and throwing each other into the ocean.

This is the City of Sails so there was obviously a lot of fun being had in and on the water. Today I discovered that yet another of my children is a water baby. My three year old boy was absolutely shivering in my arms, but would yell at me when I started to walk out of the water.

As I looked at my family, and all the other families on that beach I realised what an incredible day this was. It was like everyone in Auckland was happy, certainly everyone on that beach was. All the kids were creating memories that will last them a lifetime – and hopefully the adults were as well. I know I sure did.

What I came away with though was not just a great day spent with my family, but an appreciation for this great city I live in. I escaped the fast-paced rat-race of London seven years ago with the hubby and twins. As much as I love that city and hope to visit it again one day, I am glad we chose to settle in Auckland.

I know that many NZers see Auckland the way I see London, but in comparison it is really just a medium-paced mouse-race, if that. Today on that beach with five hundred other people, I felt completely relaxed and at home, wearing jandals and sharing the shade of a pohutukawa. And I didn’t even have a latte, and most importantly, I could see the ocean.

Maraetai Beach

Lesson Two from the Wise Men: Look for the Good

“…the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child. They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time! They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcame, they kneeled and worshipped him.”

A few years ago I was in a queue at The Warehouse and I could see a little boy sitting with a security guard. My first thought was, “Oh that poor boy. I wonder if he is lost”. The woman behind me was with her children and she also noticed the little boy. She pointed him out to her children and said, “Look at that boy kids. He must have stolen something. Make sure you don’t end up like him.”

Some people naturally see the world differently.

This incident reminded me of one of the movies I grew up with; the old Disney movie with Haley Mills called Pollyanna. Pollyanna is a young girl who is always trying to find things to be glad about, even in the worst situations. Her family were very poor missionaries and her father wrote a letter to people who support them asking for a doll for Pollyanna, but there was a mix-up and instead of getting a doll they got crutches. So her father invents the Glad Game. They had to come up with a reason to be glad to have the crutches. The only reason they came up with was that even though they had them, they were glad that none of them needed to use them. Pollyanna is the ultimate optimist. (She would have been straight down to the stable to see the new King.)

One of my favourite quotes is from this movie. It is engraved on Pollyanna’s necklace and says:

"When you look for the bad in mankind expecting to find it, you surely will."

This always comes to mind when I know I might need to deal with someone who annoys me, or who I struggle to get on with – I remind myself to stop focusing on the bad, but to look for the good and I will find it! Even on days when I’m exhausted, the house is a mess, the kids are crazy and I have a hundred things to do; I have to remind myself to look for the good in my life, stop focussing on the bad – because there is a lot of good, it is just hidden under all the toys and washing. But it is so easy to look for and then find the bad; in people, in life, and if you wanted to – even in God.

For me, Christmas is the time of year to really be thankful, but to be truly thankful you need to look for things to be thankful for.

I live in South Auckland – a place where it can be very easy to find the bad. The media has no problem doing that. But something happened to me a few years ago to remind me that there is a great heart in this place. I was heavily pregnant with baby number four and I was making my way from the supermarket with hands full of grocery bags.  While waiting at the pedestrian crossing, a man in a very flash car just drove on by – he did not see that I was waiting there. Suddenly a woman who was not crossing but just walking past at the time, who looked like a typical South Auckland tough chick yelled at him - You f**kin’ d*ck! I looked at her and she raised her chin at me as if to say – That was on your behalf – and I just thought, Wow that was so sweet!

Sometimes good does not look like what you think it should, but when you see it, it is important to acknowledge it and be thankful for it.

I often wonder what the Wise Men were expecting when they followed that star. It would have been so easy, and really understandable, for them to only see the bad and feel disappointed when they reached their destination. To see that stable, the poor family sheltered inside, that vulnerable baby. But they were far from disappointed. ‘They could not contain themselves’ and they bowed down in worship.

 

They went looking for the good. They found a poor baby in a stable, but saw a King.

I am thankful for these to lessons from the Wise Men; to get excited and to look for the good.

So in closing I want to challenge you to really embrace this Christmas and the spirit of the season. Instead of acting cool and like Christmas is for the kids and you’re just looking forward to the break that goes with Christmas – maybe set your sights a little higher.

Get rid of cynicism and get excited instead! Embrace your cheesy, hand-holding, American Christmas movie, Touched by an Angel-side, and have some high expectations of what God could do as this year comes to a close and a new year begins.

 Be like the Wise Men – don’t worry about looking like a fool.

Take a risk, have a little faith – and let yourself be taken on a journey.
Look for the good because you never know what could be in store, so why not expect something great.

Have a very Merry Christmas everyone.

 

Lesson One from the Wise Men: Have Faith and Get Excited

“…the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child. They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time! They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcame, they kneeled and worshipped him.”

 I am not massive on gift-giving myself, but Christmas and gift giving is massive for my family.  Gift giving is one of my dad's main love languages and we got a lot of love at Christmas. My siblings and I were very spoilt. We had to write a list every year - at the end of November dad would start pestering us for our lists. He would actually get angry if we were late in giving him our lists. When I moved out of home one of my best friends moved in to my room and he even asked her to write a list!

He was really precise about it as well - making sure we all had the same number of gifts, even the same number of big gifts and small gifts. And we got big gifts too! Dressing tables, bikes, one year we looked out the window and Santa had left us a massive trampoline. This is something that has continued with my kids – it is handy because we don’t get them much knowing that my parents will spoil them rotten just like they spoilt us.

When I was about 10 my parents had the wall separating the dining room and the living room removed to make it one big space. This meant that when I was little, on Christmas morning, the rule in my family was we weren't allowed to go into the lounge until everyone was up, dressed and had breakfast. We weren't even allowed to open the door to the lounge to sneak a peek at what Santa had left us and if we did we were in trouble. You imagine being 5 years old and knowing that Santa has just left a pile of presents on the other side of the door and you can’t even look at them – it was a mixture of joy and torture – and it was so fun!

I wish I could feel like that more often. I am not satisfied with saying that I am grown up now - so I will never feel that way again, because there have been times as an adult when I have felt that way. Leading up to my wedding for example, coming back home from the UK, having my babies -I had that same Christmas morning feeling of excitement and anticipation for all of these events in my life.

This is what draws me to the Wise Men in the Christmas story.

Herod heard that the Wise Men were in town looking for the new-born King of the Jews. So he gathers a group of priests and religious scholars to ask them where the king will be born. The scene in my mind is of a frightened, paranoid Herod telling this group of scholars about the foreigners in town looking for a new king. Feeling more of an allegiance to Herod than to God at this point, they tell him where the king will be born.

And then they do nothing.

 

They do not quickly pack their bags to join the Wise Men on the journey. There is no excitement, no nervous anticipation that this might just be the one they have been waiting for. When I read this I get the impression that their response is kind of, “yeah right, we’ll see”.

 

This is in stark contrast to the Wise Men. They see the star. They leave their homes, their comfort zone. They go on a journey to find a King and even when they find that king in a humble stable, the Bible says that ‘They could hardly contain themselves’ and they kneel to worship him.

‘They could hardly contain themselves.’ That is how I felt on Christmas morning as a child, and I wish I could feel that way more often now.

 Obviously we cannot feel that way all the time. It would be weird to have a sense of expectation and anticipation throughout the year. But what are we missing out on when we do not feel that way at all, or act on that feeling?

I am always trying to avoid disappointment. If you are familiar with my blogs already, then you will know that my husband and I even created a word for it – Grinching, which basically means to manage your expectations in order to avoid disappointment.

Even though my husband and I created this term there are times when grinching is not good. Where instead of protecting ourselves from disappointment and being cynical it is better to step out of our comfort zones, like the Wise Men, and have more of an expectation that something great is about to happen.

This can be applied to so many areas of life. For example, when someone you know is really trying to change their lives for the better, or trying to loose weight, or break a bad habit. It can even be appiled to faith.

I do not always act like one of the Wise Men when it comes to faith.  I am sometimes more like one of the religious scholars. I know a lot about God. I went to Bible College after all! But I do not always live out, or get remotely excited about what I know. It is safer to just wait and see what happens.

The trouble with faith is that it makes a fool out of you. It is cooler to be cynical.

I love a good dose of cynicism. It is the reason I love British comedy. There is less cheese and it has a cutting edge to it. It is even easy to be cynical at Christmas. When you are cynical and you have no expectations and you don’t take risks - you don’t get made a fool of and you are not disappointed. Hope and faith, and anticipation can make you appear very foolish. Cynicism may be cool, but it is not always fun, and you do not grow.

 The Wise Men went looking for a king and found a baby in a stable.  But they did not feel foolish. ‘They could not contain themselves.’ By all accounts, this was the greatest day of their lives.

This is the first lesson that the Wise Men taught me; to get excited about the things that are worth getting excited about.  Because ultimately I am on a journey and I trust that, like the Wise Men, there is something wonderful waiting for me at the end.