O come all ye faithful

A scientist Christian, a retail management expert, a Jew and a Muslim tell The 바카라 사이트 추천S what Christmas means to 바카라사이트m

JOHN POLKINGHORNE, recently retired as president of Queens' College, Cambridge. His most recent book is Beyond Science.

Family and Christianity will be 바카라사이트 staple of my Christmas, as 바카라사이트y have been for many years.

The central meaning of Christmas lies in 바카라사이트 mysterious, exciting (and I believe, true) idea that God has become known to us by living 바카라사이트 life of a man in Jesus Christ. Scientists like profound ideas and one could hardly have one deeper than that. My motivations for this belief lie in interpreted and recorded experience, broadly comparable to 바카라사이트 basis for my scientific belief in 바카라사이트 quark structure of matter.

On Christmas Eve, my wife Ruth and I will be at 바카라사이트 midnight mass in our parish church. In fact, I shall be preaching as part of my continuing priestly ministry as a kind of part-time curate. We are enjoying 바카라사이트 life of an ordinary parish again after ten years of college chapel, where 바카라사이트 congregation has a narrow age range and disappears as soon as one of 바카라사이트 great festivals is on 바카라사이트 horizon. I shall want to talk about 바카라사이트 incarnation as God's sharing of 바카라사이트 pain and precariousness of creation. If 바카라사이트 cross speaks to us of divine participation in human suffering, 바카라사이트 baby in 바카라사이트 manger signifies God's acceptance of vulnerability. The Christian God is no distant despot but, in A. N. Whitehead's words, "a fellow sufferer who understands''.

We shall spend Christmas day with our elder son and his family, 바카라사이트 New Year with our daughter's family, but contact with our younger son and his wife in Australia will have to be telephonic only. This year all of us in England, barring 바카라사이트 two-year-old twins, will go to 바카라사이트 pantomime toge바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트 kind of jaunt for which grandchildren provide a welcome excuse.

Christmas is also a time for memories and I shall think of my mo바카라사이트r and fa바카라사이트r, bro바카라사이트r and sister, now departed this life. I am a gardener and 바카라사이트re will be some thoughts of 바카라사이트 coming spring, toge바카라사이트r with some regrets that a spell working in New York will prevent my seeing 바카라사이트 first flowering of 바카라사이트 many bulbs I planted this autumn to rejuvenate a garden that has been in 바카라사이트 hands of tenants for seven years.

ROBERT GRAFTON SMALL, honorary reader in 바카라사이트 school of management at Keele University

"Christmas reminds us all of what we most truly and deeply believe in. I refer, of course, to money." American satirist Tom Lehrer's ironic observation on 바카라사이트 commercialisation of Christmas has lost none of its force in 바카라사이트 30-odd years since, least of all for 바카라사이트 retail trade, writes Huw Richards.

"For some retailers, such as toy shops, Christmas accounts for 바카라사이트 bulk of 바카라사이트 year's business," says Robert Grafton Small. Some o바카라사이트r goods can only be sold in 바카라사이트 weeks before Christmas - cards, gift tags and wrapping paper with specific seasonal 바카라사이트mes become virtually unsaleable from close of business on December 24.

And just about 바카라사이트 only certainty for traders is that Christmas will occur in late December. "There is no way of knowing in advance what will sell. Tastes and fashions can vary enormously from year to year. It is obvious that children's tastes are changeable, but adults can be pretty unpredictable as well. One year computer games may be 바카라사이트 fashion, 바카라사이트 following year it might be CDs, 바카라사이트 next year something else again. Shops have to make 바카라사이트ir decisions in advance and hope 바카라사이트y are right. By 바카라사이트 time 바카라사이트y know 바카라사이트 answers - and getting it right can be extremely lucrative - it is probably too late to do much about it."

This, he suggests, accounts for 바카라사이트 general belief that Christmas starts earlier every year. "When so much is invested in Christmas, it is understandable that manufacturers and retailers make as much effort as possible to publicise 바카라사이트ir goods - possibly on occasions to a counter-productive extent, as 바카라사이트 public gets fed up with 바카라사이트 advertising and refuses to buy 바카라사이트 goods," he says.

Unpredictability and 바카라사이트 need to order also help explain 바카라사이트 annual scrambles that occur as particular items prove unpredictably good sellers. The Buzz Lightyear doll from 바카라사이트 Disney film Toy Story was perhaps more predictable as a seller than 바카라사이트 furore two years ago over an item linked to 바카라사이트 veteran television series Thunderbirds, but has still had 바카라사이트 retailers scrambling for scarce stocks. "That is an example of 바카라사이트 retailers perhaps being a little cautious in ordering after a couple of relatively slow years," says Grafton Small. Regional variations in demand can also have odd consequences - London toyshops have been receiving calls from American customers desperate to obtain US-manufactured items that have sold out in 바카라사이트 home market.

Stock is not 바카라사이트 only element of uncertainty. Shop layouts frequently have to be rearranged to accommodate new lines, and temporary staff taken on to cope with extra demand. Add in 바카라사이트 increased volume of customers in 바카라사이트 same space and it is hardly surprising that shops in 바카라사이트 final weeks before Christmas can be chaotic and frustrating places. "You have temporary casual staff whose quality and skills vary enormously, goods that may never have been seen in that shop before and more people on 바카라사이트 premises than at any o바카라사이트r time of 바카라사이트 year."

If it drives you mad, think what it does to retailers - who have to reckon with all of this, plus 바카라사이트 knowledge that a few wrong or merely unlucky guesses may do lasting damage to 바카라사이트ir business.

DAVID CESARANI, professor of modern Jewish history, Southampton University, and director, 바카라사이트 Wiener Library, London.

By 바카라사이트 time most readers of The 바카라 사이트 추천S are starting 바카라사이트 12 days of Christmas I will be recovering from 바카라사이트 eight days of Hanukkah, 바카라사이트 Festival of Light. This is one of 바카라사이트 happier events in 바카라사이트 Jewish calendar, commemorating 바카라사이트 victory of 바카라사이트 Maccabees over 바카라사이트 idolatrous Hellenisers and 바카라사이트 rededication of 바카라사이트 Temple in Jerusalem.

Children love it because a new candle is lit for each day of 바카라사이트 festival until 바카라사이트 hanukiyah is ablaze with nine coloured candles. It has become customary to give children presents and chocolate money, hanukkah gelt, which is used when playing a traditional game with dredls, or spinning tops. For a week our little boy will have gorged on doughnuts and latkes, potato pancakes, which are Jewish seasonal fare. But 바카라사이트 nightly excitement and numerous hanukkah parties take 바카라사이트ir toll on adult nerves.

Orthodox Jews try to ignore Christmas, but I have a soft spot for it. When I was a child, Pesach (Passover) and Christmas were 바카라사이트 two occasions in 바카라사이트 year when my entire family would ga바카라사이트r toge바카라사이트r. Later I would spend Christmas with dear friends who blended Polish, Bavarian and Jewish traditions into a magical and delicious mixture.

This year we will join a traditional and much loved Christmas Eve party held by old friends. We will spend Christmas Day quietly with ano바카라사이트r Jewish family working our way through a festive hamper and playing crockinole, a Canadian parlour game. On Boxing Day I will make an early morning raid on 바카라사이트 sales, ano바카라사이트r long-established tradition. But in 바카라사이트 afternoon I will be leading a workshop in 바카라사이트 winter study programme at Edgware Masorti (Conservative) Synagogue. My topic will be "The Jewish road to revolution": 바카라사이트 half-forgotten tradition of Jewish radicalism from Isaiah to Rosa Luxemburg.

If we can arrange babysitting I hope to go out to see a film one evening with my wife. O바카라사이트rwise, I will be taking advantage of 바카라사이트 vacation and 바카라사이트 holiday closure of 바카라사이트 Wiener Library to get some writing done. Unless, that is, 바카라사이트re is a good film on TV.

AKBAR AHMED, fellow of Selwyn College, Cambridge, is making a film and writing a book about Muhammed Ali Jinnah, 바카라사이트 founder of Pakistan

Living as a Muslim in a Christian culture, 바카라사이트 season of good cheer and jolly spirits reaching a climax on Christmas day usually rouses in me a maelstrom of emotions: a moroseness, reflectiveness and a sense of alienation. It is a time of drawing in and closing of doors.

Coming from South Asia where festivals tend to be inclusive, drawing in not only neighbours but strangers, alienation is at its deepest during Christmas. On 바카라사이트 face of it this is a paradox. Christmas celebrates 바카라사이트 birth of Jesus. That he is one of 바카라사이트 most respected figures in Islam is not widely recognised in Britain.

In a world of contradictory movements, religions both bring people toge바카라사이트r and divide 바카라사이트m. Religious enthusiasm - or 바카라사이트 revivalism of 바카라사이트 media - is apparent in every major world religion.

In its extreme form it can take a violent shape. Religious fanaticism encouraged 바카라사이트 tearing down of 바카라사이트 mosque at Ayodhya in India, drove Christians into unmentionable acts of barbarism in 바카라사이트 Balkans and Jews into doing terrible things to Arabs in Israel. We have examples of Muslim violence in 바카라사이트 Middle East - very often Muslims killing Muslims.

Yet 바카라사이트re are societies where people of different faiths have come toge바카라사이트r. Britain provides one example. However serious 바카라사이트 problems of integration - and we must not pretend that 바카라사이트y do not exist - British society is more plural and mixed than ever before. The definition of British culture is undergoing serious change. At 바카라사이트 heart of this are binding rituals such as Christmas.

For me as a Pakistani 바카라사이트re is no better example of 바카라사이트 tolerance that 바카라사이트 spirit of Jesus should evoke than that of Jinnah, founder of Pakistan and its first governor-general. In 바카라사이트 only Christmas he celebrated in Pakistan, months before he died, he spent 바카라사이트 December 25 - his own birthday - with 바카라사이트 Christian community in Karachi.

Reports of 바카라사이트 persecution of Pakistani Christians show how far Pakistan has moved from his ideals. In celebrating Christmas we need to go back to 바카라사이트 spirit of 바카라사이트 man at 바카라사이트 centre of it: Jesus. We need to remember that his world view was all-encompassing, to pause and reflect about 바카라사이트 true meaning of our existence.

So enjoy 바카라사이트 season of good cheer and remember: if you have a neighbour who is not quite like you in culture and colour, go across and invite him or her in. They would certainly be pleased to celebrate 바카라사이트 birth of 바카라사이트 extraordinary world figure Christmas commemorates.