It will be appropriate to start by wishing everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR. Welcome to 2013 and
I wish everyone the very best this year. It is that time of the year when the
celebrations of the yuletide season comes to an end and everything else goes
back to normal. Even as we discard our Christmas trees and get used to the
numerous gifts handed out to us, let us ask ourselves one important question. “What
did we celebrate?”
Many of us would boldly say Christmas,
but according to the true meaning of that word, many of us did not celebrate
it. Christmas (25th December) is the celebration of the birth of
Jesus Christ, according to the Christian religion. Many Christians go to church
on this day to celebrate, while other can mark this day by simply praying and praising
God. In the Catholic Church, it is a holy day of obligation, which means that
all Catholics are obligated to be in church. But looking around us today,
Christmas has moved on from Jesus Christ to Gifts and Santa Claus. Majority of
people, especially here in the US take Christmas as a time to give and receive gifts,
decorate trees, and put on costumes. Many people have forgotten the true
meaning of Christmas.
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Don’t get me wrong, I am not against
gifts and decorations, it is a good thing. But when the reason for Christmas is
relegated to the background, it does not tell well of what we believe. If you
do not celebrate Christmas the right way, why call it Christmas? Remember, it
is “Christ”-“mas”. My main concern is with grown-ups who have young children.
These children will grow up to think that Christmas is all about Santa and
gifts. Let us try to change all these. Let us go back to where we came from.
Christmas is a day to mark the birth of Christ, and not our merriment only. How
would you feel being thrown out of your own birthday party? (laughs)
Worshiping on
Christmas day is the right way to celebrate Christmas, everything else can come
later. If Christmas stops being divine and continues being about ourselves,
then the name should be officially changed to something else. Let us not
continue using a word we do not understand. How many of us can boldly say we
celebrated Christmas, and not Santa?...... Just a few. It should not be hard
celebrating true Christmas. Let us not take the “Christ” out of the “Christmas”.
