Christmas is the season of getting and spending, of the hurly-burly of Black Friday and Cyber-Monday commercialism. It can be the best of times and it can be the worst of times. From Thanksgiving to the 24th of December, the rounds of shopping roll on unabated. Yet, beyond the all-consuming materialism, which magnifies the gap between the haves and the have-nots, there resides a certain something that matters as much as anything I can think of.
I don’t
think it’s a belief in Jesus’ birth as a manifestation of God, which, anyway, continues
its steady slide from religious belief into the realm of mythology, that offers
us what really should matter most. I do believe,
however, some of his teachings are still essential currency for the
season. The idea of putting others,
including strangers, first; of giving to the poor; of not envying the wealthy.
It's clear people give more generously to those who are poor at Christmas time than any other time of year. It’s perhaps not so clear that our envy of the rich diminishes all that much during this season. Yet, it seems true that we are genuinely motivated to focus on what matters most in this life, which is our affection, commitment and love for one another.
As we move through the season, it would be apt to recall the words of Scrooge in Dickens' A Christmas Carol, after he has been chastened by the Ghosts of the past, the present, and the future: "I will honour Christmas in my heart and try to keep it alive all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The spirits of all Three shall strive within me."
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