Silk

Silk is a wonderful fabric. It is light, soft, comfortable and drapes beautifully. It allows the skin to breathe during summer and keeps the body warm during winter – an asset for all seasons.

So, I was delighted to chance upon a shop at Ci Qi Kou in Chongqing, China, that gave visitors a glimpse of the process of making silk from cocoons. But it was not a pretty sight – cocoons were boiled, then immersed in cold water to soften the sericin, before the filaments could be separated and reeled.

Nevertheless, something good was derived from the cocoons that were sacrificed.

That is an apt reminder for this Christmas. It is not about the glittering carousels, ballerinas or tin soldiers that adorn the shopping streets, but Jesus Christ who was born and then sacrificed himself so that man may have eternal life.

Now who would not appreciate a gift as priceless as that this Christmas?