What does Christmas mean to you?  A discourse as we approach a most special time.

The last few weeks have been intensely busy for me and I haven’t had the opportunity to truly appreciate the Advent season.  Advent comes from the Latin word “adventus” meaning “the coming” or “the arrival.”  In the Christian tradition, this is a time to prepare for the arriving of Christ (either the birth of Christ, Christ entering our hearts, or the Second Coming of Christ).  After the autumn harvest, and the days shortening, it used to be a time for the world to slow down, refocus on the spiritual aspect of our lives, and prepare oneself for the coming year.

While not always the case, Christmas is a very special time for me.  Some of my darkest times were around Christmas, but also some of my fondest times.  For Christians, we celebrate the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.  This feast day, nearly coinciding with the winter solstice, signals the end of the darkness, the lengthening of days, and rekindles the light of hope that we all need in our lives.

This discourse is not about when Christmas starts (ahem…it’s 25 Dec, and not before), the duration of Christmas (12 days following Christmas Day, until 6 Jan; or if you’re extra-traditional, 40 days following Christmas Day)), or when Christmas decorations should go up or come down.  You do you; to each your own.

Many others have complained about the commercialization of Christmas before, and I will not be the last.  Why is our society so obsessed with the desire for gifts and consumption at Christmas?  What happened to spending quality time with family and friends?  What happened to creating lasting memories rather than the acquisition of material goods?  It is ironic that Christmastime is when we see all those ads about homelessness, hunger, and the needy; but the majority of Christmas spending ends us being gifts and trinkets for those who probably are not in need. 

In a post-COVID-19 world, our lives seem even busier, and more stressful, than ever.  Can we recall those days when during the dark days of the lockdown, when we yearned for the slightest opportunity for human contact?  And those times when we all said to ourselves, I will make a better effort to be with friends and family once restrictions are lifted.

Rather than seeing peace, love, and joy around me, the Christmas season now is filled with stress, unpleasantness, and worry.  This Christmas is probably a lot more difficult for many than in the past.  Rising inflation and cost of living is making it difficult for many to put food on the table.  As we adapt to the “new normal” of a post-COVID environment, we want to make up for those two years of “lost” Christmases, and possibly over-compensate.

I admit that I’m no great example to emulate; I am materialistic, I like my “stuff.”  And I’ve been told that people have difficulty buying me gifts since I already have everything.  I haven’t been as charitable as I had in the past.  Only recently have I been able to take a breath from the hecticness of my life and reflect on the “ugliness” of what I became in the name of work/getting things done, and that humbled me, that made me feel terrible.  From a spiritual side, only with Advent half-over have I started to prepare myself for Christmas and remind myself of the importance of this time of the year.  But that reinforced a key tenet of Christianity; that we are all imperfect beings, and acknowledging our flaws and mistakes is the first step to becoming better (or more holy, should you want to use religious language).

My Christmas desire is that we all take a pause from the busyness of life, forget about the material world, spend time with family, friends, and loved ones, and be thankful for all goodness and blessings that we have in our lives.  Cherish the things that bring us lasting joy and reflect on the important truly important things in life.  Only then, can we appreciate the true meaning of Christmas.