Well (or no-well; Noel; get it?- Okay enough) here we are; It is the Eve of Christmas Eve; We have just one more sleep, or sleepless night, until the biggest sleep, or sleepless night of the year; the sleep before Christmas.

Many a memory-mouse is stirring; scuttling through th corridors of our minds, nibbling on the cheese of our resentments or regrets; or stealing the tinsel of our childhood. Some of our loved ones are gone, many of our agitating ones are here, whilst someone special ones are in transit; gifts Santa could never equal.

In some places there is snow, in some rain; In others earthquakes and in all; some pain. Yet still we do it. Despite our semi-informed ideas about pagan-christian amalgamation and coca-cola Santa Clauses (which is nonesense by the way; Santa had red clothing back in the 1800's), we still focus in on that day in late December when something magical is hoped for, or defiantly denied.

The collisions around Xmas epitomise and mirror the collisions around God. Does it mean anything, or are they just the dreams of those aching for childhood, fantastical, comfort and joy? Is it about control, power, money, love, delusions? Who knows? We all have theories; as many as there are snowflakes in a Christmas(s) Snow-Globe.

And yet it persists. The Mass of Christ might have softened into Xmas, or The Holidays, or the Winter Celebrations. But still, we hold onto them, believer and sceptic alike. Why?

I put it to you that it is because we are who we are; a species still intrigued by our capacity to see what is not seen by other creatures- Santa Clauses, Peace on Earth, Red Nosed-Reindeers, Reconciliation, Purpose, Meaning, Hope.

Deep inside us we know that before another year begins, as it soon will, we need to boost our hearts, our souls; our vision that things can truly improve. Without this annual heart-bump, we would slowly despair; give into the moroseness of a meaningless life-a guaranteed, self imposed acion of extinction.

Even if it is true that many of us believe in Xmas or God because we would rather believe in them than believe in nothing, the fact is, We Do Believe. We are a species who believes. And Xmas, however we see it, is a reminder that we do not believe in nothing. We want our Personal TinkerBells to live. We want them to fly with Peter Pan in Never Never Land; be it a land of science or spirit.

Perhaps that's why do it. We know that if we don't, we have stopped believing in something. And if we do that: Noel truly shall become No Well; a timorous joke would become a tragic outcome.

All I want for Christmas is to believe; in something, someone, somewhere; even in my dreams if need be -for then I can avoid the antithesis of Xmas - A Species of Dis-belief.

Merry Christmas everyone. And don't stop believing. It's more than Glee's TV ratings that would be at stake if you did :-)