Remember; remember the twenty fifth of December,
The manger that served as a cot,
I know no reason why the reason for the season should ever be forgot.
It is once again the time for Christmas; a time when you hear ten different versions of the same carol, a time when every single thing becomes commercialised and you can get anything free once you purchase something else, a time where bars dry proportionally to wallet size, a time where all roads lead away from the city and any excuse for indulgence is used. This is the Christmas that most people know and are looking forward to. For that I say, enjoy to the fullest. You only live once after all.
However, what is the essence of all the commotion around our favourite holiday? What is the feeling the morning after? Is it memorable in a heartfelt manner or was it a welcome break to the norm? Is it a day for nursing hangovers and taking antacid to ease the discomfort caused from excess food and drink? Or do you wake up and tick it off your checklist for seeing distant relatives and other people as a duty well paid. We are all to enjoy it the best way we know how.
This post is not an evangelisation of the whole back story and events leading to the birth of Christ, that work has been well tackled by all the movies and cartoons that have aired this month. That message is loud and clear, it is subject to interpretation. Personally, my whole reason for making it a special day ever since I realised it was not about new clothes and food is the simplicity of the initial day.
In simplicity, the day garnered a complexity that we all can see but few can ever understand. The birth of a boy that would prove to be a bridge over troubled waters in a humble place such as a manger, with only parents and invited guests is barely a comparison to the merry making witnessed today. It epitomised love; what a father could do for the safety of his child, what a mother would do for the comfort of a child and the kindness of strangers. Despite all the events that led to this day, I believe it is love that made the star shine bright.
We may not have a star to guide us, gold myrrh and frankincense may be too rare and too expensive to give but that love resides even in the seemingly darkest of us. It is not an isolated incident that gives us a Eureka moment. It is a chain of events spun through a web of care, friendship, a shoulder, a helping hand and a listening ear. For me, this is a time to say thank you to those who have been there through the good and the bad, the ugly and the pleasant. They are your constant fuel; the never ending drive to wake up and the smile of anticipation when you lay to rest. You may take it for granted but it is no one’s mandate to love you, it is a kindness extended for free and that is what makes life worth living for.
Say a special grace when you wake up or before you dig in to the feast. Say a quiet thank you for those who made every laugh heartier, those who made the day brighter and the nights warmer, those who made every tear end in a smile, those who told you what you needed rather than wanted to hear, and those that have stood by you through rain or shine. For that is the spirit of the holiday, to reminisce and just be grateful to be alive. Have a merry Christmas everyone.
donmu2ua 