Generous (2011)
Whether or not it is the economic down-turn, our worries about obesity, civic caution over a myriad of liabilities or the increasing salience of puritanically-oriented Christians, I get the impression that the English capacity for enjoyment, never really very strong, has suffered a serious setback in recent years. Perhaps, too, we are so used to having more or less what we want to eat at whatever time of year, we are just less apt to go in four bouts of fasting and feasting; but while I am not encouraging gluttony and drunkenness, I do hope that we can all enter the festive season with enthusiasm and relish. Just for this year, as a dangerous experiment, concentrate on the generosity of givers instead of bewailing the consumer society; put an extra skein of tinsel on the tree; find a richer recipe for turkey stuffing; be more careful what wine you drink; plan more time for sitting down and conversing; read Isaiah 40-66. And go to Midnight Mass!