How did you manage on Christmas Day? OK? And what about the presents? Or have you been hurrying back to the exchange counter at Marks and Spencers or wherever? And the children? All sweetness and light? Or shrieking tantrums and cries of "But she's got a better one than I have!"

If you have had problems worry not; it will all be solved next year. For then there will be on the market a device of American origin which will allow your children electronically to present you with their Christmas present order. The device is like one of those guns which reads bar codes at so many of our shop check-outs. Your cherubic child will be given one of these at a store and told to go round and 'zap' all the items they would like by flashing the gun at them. These will then come up itemised on an electronic print-out which will be handed to you to allow you to fulfil the Christmas present requirements to everybody's satisfaction apart possibly from your bank manager's. Rather like one of those wedding present lists I suppose minus only the fish–knives.

Very efficient no doubt! But it seems to remove completely the essential present element of surprise. And for a Christian how important that is. Not for nothing is our God the 'God of Surprises'. Surprise contains an element of excitement but also maybe of disappointment. One of the things about Christian receiving is to accept disappointing or disconcerting gifts with good grace.

How many disconcerting gifts of God do we celebrate at this time! Mary contemplates in stillness and receives the alarming gift of the Motherhood of God. Having become the mother in the Holy Family she then receives more bewildering gifts: attempted murder of her child, exile, the long and frightening journeys of the refugee. And once back in her homeland what further present awaits her? The unannounced disappearance of her son who on being found treats her so one might think with precocious disdain. By normal standards a bumptious little so-and-so who needs taking down a peg or two.