WHAT DID WE CELEBRATE?

            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 (25^th 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.

            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”.