I am a Christian. I am a Catholic. Moreover, I am a believer of Christmas. However, there are just some things that I simply hate about this season. I am not a cynical person; in fact, the Christmas season is the best in the entire year. Yet, we ought to be sentient of our unseemly ways of celebrating it.
Today, I intend to thrash out some of the not so good values and traditions that we largely follow when the Christmas season arrives.
The Santa Claus Conspiracy
Not until I reached the age of 11 did I realize that I have been a victim of this conspiracy. Every Christmas my mother would ask me to hang a Christmas stocking on the wall with the tale that Santa Claus will drop presents inside the stockings if I am a good boy. Believing in the myth of Santa Claus was not as bad as I thought; somehow, I also realized that it would be more pleasant and meaningful, if my parents would candidly give their Christmas presents to me. We do not need to play the Santa Claus Conspiracy just to give our presents to our children. After all, giving gifts is an expression of love and affection.
Christmas Presents
Talking about presents, the Christmas season is predominantly associated with gift giving – and this great tradition slightly annoys me. Of course, who would not be annoyed if all your relatives, friends, godsons and goddaughters are expecting to receive a gift from you? Hey! You might want to remember that this materialistic gift giving is not an imperative element of Christmas. So never compel yourself to buy a gift if it is not doable this time, in the same way that you should not expect and keep on badgering other people about your gift. In these times of economic inflation, one has to be practical. Instead of giving out worldly presents, you can share your genuine love and affection to others – that indeed is the true spirit of Christmas.
Lame Reconciliations
Time and again, we hear this line, “Let’s mend ways ‘coz it’s Christmas...” With the decadent state of our community due to piled up and unsettled conflicts and disagreement, do we have to wait for Christmas in order to reconcile? It feels sad to view that the essence of reconciliation has always been bluntly dragged during Christmas. Within the 365 days of your life, you need not wait for Christmas to come just to reconcile with your adversary. In fact, reconciliations should be done with an open and forgiving heart. Thus, saying “I’m sorry” is one thing that we should utter sincerely.
Irrational Extravagance
December is full of long clamorous days. Clamor for what? Lavish decorations and preparations? It has been a tradition and a trend to adorn our homes with lavish decorations and serve the best and delectable foods on Christmas. I love to see the beautiful and merry decors during Christmas. What is frustrating is that most of us are focused on the worldly preparations that we overlook and fail to consider the genuine meaning of Christmas. It is best that we should lavish our hearts and souls first, before we lavish with superficiality.
Incoherent Behavior
For once, have you tried scrutinizing yourself during Christmas? Why you smile a lot suddenly? Why you give alms to the beggars unexpectedly? – And why you feel like doing good deeds out of the blue? These are just some of the inconsistent behaviors that we experience during Christmas. Funny it seems that we suddenly become angels and saints when Christmas arrives. I am not skeptical about that, but, it would be better if we learn to inculcate and develop these manners into our daily routine, not just on Christmas.
Yes, these are the things that I hate about Christmas, however, these are also the things that we need to ponder upon to realize a more meaningful and merry Christmas season.
Merry Christmas!