Revelling, drunkenness, debauchery, licentiousness, quarreling and jealousy

The above might be your idea of a really good Christmas party! It's part of Paul's letter to the Romans where he says:

" Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy."

I jokingly made reference to it in my sermon last weekend- that if the soaps are to be believed that is exactly what we might think Christmas is about. The reading was repeated at this morning's communion service, and it struck me that with all those marvellous words I wasn't really thinking about the light and dark imagery.
Christmas is full of light and lights. We put lights on EVERYTHING! We light up all the dark spaces, and put tinsel on them too. At Christingle services we emphasise the candle in the orange representing Jesus, the light of the world. A lot of people can't accept that, and find it easier to fill up the dark spaces, and this dark time of year, with partying instead.
I do intend to party this Christmas (in my own chilled out kind of way), but it's because of the joy that celebrating Jesus' birth brings me- and I want to share that joy!