One view of Christmas

Here is my provocative - even discordant view of aspects of the Christmas celebrations that I've struggled to come to terms with ever since attaining adulthood "understanding."

Stripped of its strictly religious foundation - most of the elements of which, according to Christian historicity and theology, could be credible - the Christmas celebration can be exposed as false and commercial. It is accepted that the Christ-Child was not born in December. That Christmas observances came long after the Easter reality; that certain Paganistic, Saturnalian, European elements of the celebrations these days have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus.

But my contention is that the European practices and commercialisation were so psychologically and materially powerful that they have overwhelmed us in this part of the world where the mentality of the slave and the colonial was easy to exploit. After all, an end-of-year explosive release is just the thing to chase away one year and plan, hopefully, for another. No wonder that my Roman Catholic friend confidently told me the other day that if there wasn't a Christmas here as we know it, "we would have invented one ourselves."

Another problem for me associated with those "wonderful" European elements of Christmas: despite ACDA'S Afro-centric Kwanzaa attempts, and the emergence of Caribbean-flavoured Christmas music over the past three decades, to me and thousands apparently, the unfortunate truth is that if you take away the Christmas tree, the Santa Claus, the carols, the holly and ivy, the darn dreadful white snow of "frosty" and jingle bells - "Christmas" won't be the same.

Look what they've done to so many minds. I rationalise the changing and improvement of homes at year-end. Oh but the unnecessary determination by too many to keep up with the Joneses at this time.

But then I'll offer my own compromise to an annual situation that even ACDA and the GPSU can't seem to modify. (Without aid from violent opposition forces, protesters, strikes and bandits - as in December 1997). Study the Christmas origins of the season; decide how much both your faith and understanding of the Virgin Birth could appreciate and accept; use the Christmas celebration to give the gifts of life and love and control your expenditure even as you acquire the seasonal home-improvement, clothes and foods of the period.

Oh and if you're Afro-centric, consider that the Baby Jesus, most likely, would have had to be, at least, very brown in appearance and not "white" at all. And yes! It does matter! I'd better end here. Have a reflective Christmas day - along with the other eleven - that the "Europeans" have recommended.