And what if we don’t celebrate Christmas?

A strange question to ask as the country gears up for the start of a period of entertainment that characterises the month of December with its Christmas lunches and New Year’s Eve parties.

But, imagine December was just like any other month. What would the businessmen say if there was no tradition of giving presents to our loved ones? What would owners of clothes shops say if people did not buy new outfits for Christmas and the New Year celebrations? What would supermarkets do if nobody bought turkeys or prepared that extra special meal for all the family? What would restaurants and hotels do if this time of the year was… well, just like the other times of the year?

You can’t imagine that, can you?

This is because, for most of us, Christmas is just that – a period of entertainment, a time for luxurious meals and heavy eating, a time to spend so much money on presents that will brighten up the day, but are discarded once the festivities are over.

We seem to have forgotten that, most of all, Christmas is a time for reflection. We seem to have forgotten what happened in that Bethlehem cave more than 2,000 years ago. On that day, there were no decorated streets, no bars and restaurants open at midnight, no parties. Just inns which were too full to take a pregnant woman about to give birth.

Of course, we are not saying that we should not celebrate Christmas. Far from it. Christmas is, after all, a time for family reunions and meeting with friends who, perhaps, we would not have met for a while. Most lunches and parties serve this purpose, and therefore the Christmas season should continue to be cherished as quality time with people one enjoys being with.

Yet, at the same time, we should also find time to think about the real meaning of Christmas.

Secondly, we must also remember that not everyone is in a position to celebrate Christmas the way most of us do. We seem to think that, once we can, everybody else can too. But this is not the case.

There are many families who will not be celebrating Christmas with lunches and outings. Some have lost a loved one this year and things will never be the same again. Other families are unfortunately at odds with each other and brothers and sisters will not be meeting up. There are friends who were together last Christmas but will go separate ways this year because of a misunderstanding.

Other people are experiencing financial difficulties and cannot afford a special meal. There are some people who are going through a bad time emotionally and are also not looking forward to the festivities. Others might still turn up for the family events and will still go out with their friends and colleagues, but deep down they do not feel like celebrating either.

There will also be some who, for different reasons, will not be spending Christmas with the people they love the most. They might not even be seeing them on this special day, and will perhaps only make contact via an sms or email, perhaps a phone call. For these people, something will be missing this Christmas even though they will be smiling in the presence of others.

Christmas is a time for giving, and giving gives one more inner happiness than receiving. A form of giving is understanding what others might be going through, and respecting that some might not be in a position to celebrate the way we are.

A serene Christmas to all our readers.