The true essence of yuletide celebration

THE yuletide season, almost all of us will agree, is the most magical time of year, sprouting in us a ray of emotions as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. God sent his only son to earth to save us from our sins, our trespasses and our iniquities. It is a holy time that invites us to reflect on the most important issues in life, especially escaping the darkness of ignorance and arriving at the light of new understanding and possibility. Yet, we’ve become so caught up in the pressures of the season that we place our emphasis on the wrong things and miss the simple joys of commemorating the birth of the Holy One of Bethlehem.

The holiday has no doubt taken a more materialistic direction with increases in spending. For all its splendors, the season lends itself to disillusionment. The build-up is too great, the expectations have always been very high, still, the reality almost never matches the myth. Not only is the pressure to spend money on the right presents, but many also find that when gifts become the focal point of a holiday, it puts too much emphasis on receiving, even as one of the great teachings of Jesus Christ while here on earth is that there is more happiness in giving than in receiving. Moreover, it is all too easy to have high expectations of what’s in that beautifully wrapped box, which could sometimes set us up for disappointment. Besides, we also sometimes feel frantic looking for gifts for Christmas, rather than understanding that gift-giving is in itself a way of being in family, friendship, and community, and that Christmas is not a time for modeling a utopian gift economy.

Again, many view Jesus’ birth as the miracle of Christmas, but others interpret it in their own various ways. We do not have to worry whether there is a right or wrong tradition as it is okay for people to follow their holiday beliefs, but it has to be emphasized that Christmas should not become a month-long spending competition. To be sure, when I start to get hung up on what the various outlets and shops as well as social media and black Friday deals would like me to see as the reason for the season, all I have to do is open the Bible to be reminded of what’s really important. That little baby in the manger isn’t just a cute figurine on a shelf, but a real, living Savior who loved us so much that he gave up the glory of heaven to experience all the pain of humanity. He had no wealth or property, but gave all he had – his very life – for you and me, so that we may not only have eternal life, but know peace and joy in all circumstances.

The celebration of Christmas can be meaningless, especially if we don’t have access to its deep layers of history and symbolism. While a lot of people  feel Christmas is a license to eat and drink too much; the idea of transcending ordinary limits has been part of solstice celebrations for hundreds of years. We really don’t have to go to literal extremes, but we can stretch our personal rules, based on the idea of liminal time, a period of days or weeks set aside to celebrate an important aspect of life. Therefore, If you have to cut out some activities or traditions because of tight finances this year, don’t let that rob you of your joy this season, for Christ is the reason for the season. To have a joyful Christmas is to know Christ, and to know Christ is to love him. So it’s important for families to light advent candles and reads scripture to remind them of the true essence of Christmas: The world was in darkness, so God sent us Light.

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Yet, it has to be noted that not all people think the holidays are too materialistic. While some appreciate the traditional aspects of the holidays, like getting together and celebrating with friends and family, others love shopping and are just fine with all the giving and receiving.  To be sure, giving  and receiving are not bad in themselves as the former can be done with a kind, generous, selfless heart and the latter can be done with a grateful one, but what certainly is erroneous is being caught up in such activities to the point where they end up causing us to be self-absorbed in materialism.

By and large, if we take Christmas to heart and get past the anxieties in arranging for gifts and parties, we will rediscover ourselves every year at this time and experience a birth in ourselves, just like the one so beautifully described in the gospel stories. It will be a celebration of both the birth of Jesus and the birth of our own soul. With all of the wrapping paper, boxes, and bows drawing us to the more material side of Christmas, it can take some effort to keep our celebrations centered on Christ. But remembering him is what will help us feel joy during the Christmas season and focus on its real meaning.

In any case, we are to be celebrating Jesus Christ always— not only through an act of remembrance on a single day or season, but through consistent prayers, praise, and living our lives in accordance to his teachings especially as he has set a perfect model and example for us to follow. Celebration is praise and the greatest act of praise one can give is to surrender one’s life to God’s will. Hence,  we can all, whatever our religion, celebrate the spirit of Christmas, as one of hope, love, charity because Christ is the reason for the season. Here is wishing us all a Merry Christmas in the true essence of the celebration of the birth of our Savior.

• Yakubu is of the Department of Mass Communication, Kogi State University, Anyigba, Nigeria.