Christ was not born on December the 25th. It is far more likely that it would have been in late September, autumn, if Mary and Joseph were, as reported, returning to Bethlehem for the census, under the direction ofImperator Caesar Divi Filius Augustus. Our current celebratory timing has more to do with the pagan Roman season of Saturnalia starting on the 17th of December, the birthday of my wife Natalie a name derived from the word "natal day".
Saturnalia would have quickly paled into obscurity had it not been associated with a person who a large proportion of the globe, including me, believes to be The Christ, the Son of God. Another large portion believes the same person to be a great prophet and many others who would class themselves as not holding a religion find the same individual’s statements as espousing the virtues of a good person and a tolerant society.
The paradox comes when those who laud the views of this Person, Christ, do not appear to follow these values themselves, then others attribute this paradox to a hypocrisy of a religion.
Christmas is a time of great joy and great loneliness. It shines the light on those who have somewhere to go and those who have nowhere. It is a great joy when it is shared by others but it can be devastating if the experience is merely observed through the window. There is nothing as lonely as Christmas carols for one.
The virtue of Christmas is therefore not in an item you purchase for someone, which to be honest is usually quickly forgotten crap, but how you act. There is definitely someone near you now who has no-one and is not so much looking forward to the 25th, but dreading it. Their experience in some instances will be absolute despair. This experience of despair many associate with the homeless on the street but it may just as easily be in the best house on the nicest street. Our part in this scene is to try to be a form of solace to the problem. Despite our reluctance, whatever we give personally is so much more rewarding than any tokenistic electronic good. We should never put out of our mind the idea of saying, “if you’d like to pop round for lunch we’d love to have you”; leave the option open for one of the greatest Christmas gifts. The magic of Christmas is the bravery to take down the barriers and be nice, to the stranger, yes, even to the ex.
Children make Christmas and there is almost an undisputed public shunning of those who think it clever to destroy the magic for kids. Everyone tries to desperately fight the tide of adolescence where the joy of the presents under the tree is lost by the impending mad rush to adulthood. That magic morning of watching children sticks in the memory banks. These are the couple of hours that are remembered in a person’s life; long remembered after promotions at work, parties, disputes and peers are wiped away.
There is nothing more nauseous than to be cynical or politically correct about Christmas. Every time I hear the term “Season’s Greetings” I believe I have just encountered a salutation to be given to the cloaca of a cooked chook. It is “Christmas” for goodness sake. There a four seasons, one Christmas, and I am not in the mind to send people a card saying, “Happy spring – hope you’re all well.” or “ May the joy of winter find you in good health” or “Welcome to the magic of mid to late autumn”.
The world is not going to collapse around your ears if you bite your tongue and say live and let live, it is actually Christmas. People who sing carols are not religious zealots. Be nice to someone outside your comfort zone. To all the children I say, as an earnest politician and dedicated representative of the people of Queensland that, Santa is real and I’ve seen one of his sleighs being serviced at Macquarie Island near the South Pole. I suppose he’d have to have a depot in the south as well.
Merry Christmas, Canberra.