Is It Fitting To Celebrate Christmas This Year?
No good tidings, no sleigh bells.
Christmastime is arguably the season of goodwill, togetherness, and gleeful traditions. Mirthful laughter and colorful lights surround the streets, as people welcome the last hurrah on an eventful chapter of their lives. Every good thing that comes throughout the year builds up to this very moment.
Christmas is also the celebration of happiness, abundance, and togetherness — much of what most of us, unfortunately, can’t necessarily have at present.
Just in the first quarter of the year, the Hong Kong protests and the Australian bushfire make global news — and little did we know that it was only the beginning of the end. Eventually, there came the Taal volcano eruption; the emergence of coronavirus as a global pandemic; a new case of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo; a massive landfall in Eastern India and Bangladesh; police brutality against Black lives; a 7.5 magnitude earthquake in Mexico; a plane crash in Iran, and many more. In addition to that, the social and political climate that surrounds us at the moment is far from holly. In the Philippines alone, human and women’s rights activists are red-tagged; police power is overboard; eviction in slum communities steadily increases; corruption prevails in positions of power; and just recently, supertyphoon Rolly caused fatalities and billions worth of damages.
If there’s no good tidings at all, then what do we have left to celebrate?
A few weeks ago, I came across a radio show where the two hosts argue whether or not we should celebrate Christmas amid global health, economic and political crises. One of them says that it will be better if we tone down on the holiday extravagance for a while, as a courtesy to millions of people who are not necessarily in a pleasant position in life. However, the other host argues that celebrating Christmas will give people something enjoyable to look forward to.
They both have intriguing and valid points that are considerate of the situation. I also think that they are worth discussing because they promote social awareness, self-reflection, and even cautiousness.
As for the first host’s stance, it can indeed be a bit tawdry to display excessive amounts of food and decorations on our tables while many are laid off from work and starving. Difficult times call for considerable amounts of empathy. I have witnessed celebrities get called out online for excessive display of wealth during an economic slump. This same principle also applies to us. More than that, Christmas celebrations will encourage social gatherings, which we know can worsen the pandemic. Anyone can be a carrier, while different bodies react to the virus differently. It is conceivable insensitive to only look look after our own interests during this season, just because the calendar says that it is time to celebrate.
Author Maggie Smith says that life doesn’t give us extra credit for being miserable; so, there is absolutely no point for us to carry the problems of the world on our shoulders. At the same time, a substantial realization I acquired in months of being in lockdown is that we can perchance be just a stone’s throw away from the familiar devastations we hear in the news. Coronavirus alone has already taken millions of lives, and I know a handful of people who lost their loved ones in the past seven months. I have relatives in the medical field who sacrifice their families and themselves to pursue their duties. I have had conversations with people who break their backs every day for a few bucks. Students grapple with the new academic format; fresh graduates struggle to find jobs, and office employees fear to commute to work. Problems that surround the world at the moment are a lot closer to us than we think. The people that fall victim to the unfortunate episodes of this year, especially by the pandemic, can be our friends — or our close relatives even. Accordingly, the host sees nothing to celebrate this year.
Host number 2 disagrees. She says that Christmastime will give people a little bit of rainbow in the middle of so much rain. There is no reason for us to feel responsible for the world’s tragedies anyway. The pandemic alone has taken a toll on people’s mental and physical health. In that sense, we have collectively been through a lot already. And so, the spirit of Christmas can serve as a good reminder of hope. If the price to pay is a little extravagance and a bit of oblivion, then so be it.
I watched a lot of films during the first few weeks of the lockdown simply because I felt too overwhelmed to stomach what was going on outside. Ignorance is bliss, and so it is. It served as a great distraction for a while, until I realized that ignorance, too, is a tasteless bliss. While it is true that Christmastime can reignite hope, I do not think that we should treat it as a distraction to the current world problems. It may divert our attention for a while, yes, but there is a lot more depth to the season. The second host sees that the hardships we have all been through calls for a thriftless celebration — because we deserve it, just like a child does a lollipop after a difficult visit to the doctor. As mentioned earlier, Christmas is about goodwill, togetherness, and traditions. We should focus on that.
The way I see it, there is a middle ground between the points of the two hosts. A passable, non-ostentatious celebration seems fitting, considering what we have all been through during the year. At the same time, observing the holiday season will be a good reminder for people to remain hopeful and faithful of the situation.
I do not think that the first host intends to be a Scrooge. From what I understand, he only feels that it is appropriate to welcome the holidays with due sensibility and prudence. In the first few weeks of community quarantine, people on the internet collectively decided that it was ill-suited to post about fancy meals or shallow rich kid problems. Everyone was in dismay, but many were affected in degrees that were just incomparable to our shallow problems — like not being able to go out. Similarly, it is proper to express the same level of empathy during this Christmas and have an abstemious holiday celebration.
In addition to that, the true essence of Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ. We may not all be religious, yet there are still some things we can learn from Christians. This holiday season is essentially an opportunity to understand the wisdom of Jesus and reflect on them. Some of these teachings involve compassion, forgiveness, and profound love. As the second host puts it, Christmas can be a time to reinstate people’s hope and faith.
With all that said, I feel that Christmas has so much potential this year. It can be something even more meaningful than we remember. Combining the first host’s points on empathy, and the second host’s value on hopefulness can bring a greater purpose to merry-making. Christmas is a great way to instill community among people during a difficult time. While you are planning for your family Noche Buena, dedicate a few minutes of your time to figure how you can bring Christmas into other homes. ’Tis season can serve as an opportunity for all of us to be Santa Clauses in our little ways. After all, Christmas is the season of giving.
Most of all, keep in mind that the spirit of Christmas is not only in joyful celebrations — it is present in acts of kindness, love, and hope. Our holidays may not be the same as what we imagined a few months back, but its essence will remain no matter what.
