 Christmas – Once Again Ann Slater is part of the THOMAS Team And is it true? And is it true, This most tremendous tale of all, Seen in a stained-glass windows’ hue, A Baby in an ox’s stall? The Maker of the stars and sea Become a Child on earth for me? John Bejteman In the next few weeks, Christians all over the world will be going through a period of preparation – Advent - ---for the festival of the Birth of Christ, the celebration of Christ’s mass. But has the real meaning of Christmas been lost; is Christmas introduced too early; do we celebrate the birth of the Saviour as it is meant to be celebrated? Are all the symbols of a modern Christmas, with its glitz, glamour, over eating, drinking, carousing in keeping with the simple story of the Nativity? In the local press recently there have been rumblings of discontent about the over commercialisation of Christmas. Local MP’s have added their voices expressing their opinions about loud raucous pop Christmas music in large stores. The hard sell, the pressure to buy bigger, better and more expensive gifts, the fripperies associated with a modern Christmas, are these what it is all about? In England in the middle ages it was certainly a religious festival, even the singing of carols (the word originates from old French/Celtic and means dance) was banned from church into the streets as the dancing and singing were deemed unseemly for church worship. Nowadays the street tradition of carolling singing is carried on, organised and accompanied by a collection for charity (though I suspect that many of the children knocking on the door after a few lines of ‘carol’ singing aren’t donating to charity). To-day carol services are considered to be the highlights of Christian Worship and many of those who don’t attend church, or at least not very often, almost always attend at least one carol service during the Christmas season. Certainly the annual service at Blackburn Cathedral is always well attended and always followed by a most magnificent fireworks display. It was during the 19th century that Christmas cards became popular, almost always depicting scenes of the Nativity, nowadays it seems anything goes but the sentiments expressed are mostly just as genuine as those of latter days. The fat, rosy-cheeked Santa Claus of Christmas cards is now an integral part of the festivities. He is more popular with most people, certainly in Britain, than his original counterpart - St. Nicholas whose feast is celebrated on the 6th December. St. Nicholas who lived during the 4th century was a Christian who anonymously distributed gifts to the poor. Here at our Drop-in centre at T.H.O.M.A.S. we receive many, many gifts to be distributed to the homeless and those on the margins. A great number of these gifts are given anonymously with little fuss, ranging from enough turkeys and mince pies to feed all the homeless and disadvantaged who come to the centre, to parcels of chocolates, toiletries, gloves, scarves and hats. A few days before Christmas most of those volunteers who man the Drop-in centre six days a week turn up to cook a full Christmas dinner, with all the trimmings and serve it to as many as seventy plus people, each of whom leaves with a parcel made up from donations given mostly by local businesses. The traditional Crib, depicting the Nativity scene and, originally introduced, supposedly by St. Francis in Italy as part of his teaching aids is still very much a part of Christmas, and a representation can often be seen in many town centres alongside the decorated Christmas tree. Children especially love visiting the crib on Christmas Eve. They even today believe in the magic of Christmas and Father Christmas and we as adults are keen to help them hold on to that tradition and feeling of wonderment for as long as we can. I believe that although Christmas is a special time for children it is not only for children, it is for each and everyone of us, a time to rekindle our own childhood, to approach the Crib with the same simplicity that we did then. The true message of Christmas is not restricted to Christian philosophy, it is common to all the major world faiths albeit celebrated at different times and in different cultures and neither should it be limited to once a year, it should be part of our everyday living experience extending towards everyone, sharing what we have with each other in a true spirit of friendship and love. Christina Rosetti a 19th century poetess says ‘Love came down at Christmas….Love was born at Christmas; Star and angels gave the sign’. And this is what Christmas is or should be about ; a time when people smile and greet each other offering that friendship, a time when families get together to celebrate a Special Birthday. A time when love is exhibited as in our Drop-in and in many such places around the country, a time for John Betjeman a 20th century poet and us to reflect. |
