Yes, it is Christmas time in Australia, as everywhere. Duh. But. It’s not cold here, it’s not winter, the notion of light in the darkness doesn’t hold very well because, well, there’s so little darkness in early summer. Again, duh. But daily, I’m seeing the usual UK inflatable Santas, snowmen, green wreaths with red bows and twinkle lights. Searching on the internet for other warm climate Christmas ideas, I see similar things; Christmas trees, yet decorated with flowers and not baubles, funky Santas with surfboards, twinkle lights in the Caribbean (as ever, for a warm tropical evening). The Christmas message of Jesus, Mary and Joseph? Not a lot to see on that front.

If we ever needed to know, Christmas isn’t the incarnated Christ in a child, it is a presents, drink and food celebration at the end of a the calendar year. People in the northern hemisphere made the season images and they’ve been transported across the planet. Many in the UK have spoken about going with the flow, leaving the message to churches and changing all the celebrations to Winterval. This lets us celebrate light in the dark, cosy families around fires and warm tables. But Summerval doesn’t’ really cut it in the same way.

Me being me, I wanted to join the celebration, but to do a decoration which somehow told the deep message we Christians want to share. I’ve battled this for years in preparation for living here, but came to nothing. It was being here which made me get to the core story. The incarnation is about God getting deeply involved with people, becoming a yowling baby, colluding with humanity to bring the Divine truth. Earth and heaven connected in real time. I started collecting and making stars.

On the front of our lovely new house is an old basketball hoop, long since unused, but still there. It became the holder for my ideas as I reached for my installations box, recently arrived by ship in our container. Here is our Christmas decoration with heaven and earth colluding, stars tangled with the green of earth. I’m not sure what anyone else makes of it, but it cheers us up!