Calling all maulifuffs!

 

Back in October I called all maulifuffs* to stand proudly together.  A few of you took time out from being busy doing nothing and signed up. 

December is not a good month to be a maulifuff but if you managed it, have a gold star.  For myself, I am quite proud of how little I achieved, but I have no partner, children or grandchildren.  I took a couple of services though which reduces my maulifuffing score which I am far too lazy to calculate anyway.  By the way, if there are men in your life, I have discovered they can be maulibums (or so Susie Dent from Dictionary Corner says).

January is a month which can make or break us.  New Year resolutions and all that.   For maulifuffs it is fine to make them, better to break 'em.  

*If you haven't a clue what I am on about you may like to know that maulifuff is an old Scottish word for a woman devoid of energy, who would happily do nothing for hours on end.

Chalking the door

The magi have, at last, found their way to the stable to worship the Christ child.  It's a bit crowded around there now.  Sorry you haven't had much in the way of travel reports this year - doing the Advent alphabet was quite demanding!

The Bible doesn't tell us the names of the magi.  It doesn't even say how many they were.  Tradition says there were three because three gifts are named but it ain't necessarily so.  Tradition also names them Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, CMB.  

Each year at Epiphany I take down my Christmas wreath and chalk the door.  That isn't easy on a modern UPVC door so I have a chalk label for the purpose.  On it I have written 20 C + M + B 26 in honour of all who seek Christ wherever he is to be found.  And I pray Christus Mansionem Benedicat (May Christ bless this house) using the traditional initials in a different way.

 May all who come to my home this year rejoice to find Christ living with me; and may I seek and serve, in everyone I meet, that same Jesus who is your incarnate Word, now and forever. Amen.

How's the hibernaculum?

 After a few days away it's lovely to come back to my own home.  Holly Dog makes me very welcome but I still like my hibernaculum best.    

Today is the day I take down the Christmas decorations and reclaim normality for my home.  It's lovely when they first go up and it's lovely when they first go down.  The door wreath will stay until tomorrow to be taken down when I chalk the door for 2026.  

The weather doesn't look encouraging for trips out but I have brilliant stores and have no intention of going anywhere.

I've got books (especially audiobooks), lots of knitting wool, lovely things to do.

How's the hibernaculum?  It's great!

So be it.

I trained for ministry on a course which was run not just by The Church of England but the United Reformed and Methodist churches too, and we shared in the glories of all three traditions  At the beginning of each year we used this prayer from the Methodist Covenant Service.  I still use it now.