ON December 25th, for centuries, Christians around the world commemorated the birth of their spiritual leader, Jesus Christ. According to Christian belief, Jesus is
the Son of God, the Almighty. He was born in mid-winter to his mother, Mary and father Joseph. He is said to be the Messiah of the Christian faith who will one day come
again to redeem sinners of their sins. The story line of Jesus’ birth and life is quite popular, just as the holiday itself. Guyanese are delighted around this time
of the year to celebrate and be merry. Whether you are a Christian believer or not, you must have taken part in at least one Christmas-related event (work-social,
concert, fund-raiser, etc.) The thoughts of this norm inspired me to write this week’s piece. Why is Christmas so liked by all? What gives us all this
warm, fuzzy feeling?

Religion has its major input on the meaning of Christmas but modern times have changed that meaning significantly from Santa Claus/ St. Nicholas and the traditional
story of sending your children to sleep and allowing him to shower them with gifts before they wake up, Christmas trees and decor of houses, caroling and gift

exchanges. In Guyana, we eat our wine-saturated black cakes and spicy pepper pots, attend church services on December 24th, enjoy dinner or lunch with those closest
around us. Christmas in Guyana is not the same without the busy streets and bargaining of road vendors everywhere, shorter days and longer nights,
the thumping sound of drums as masqueraders dance for money in the towns.
All over the world, every country and even every person has their own meaning of what Christmas
truly means. Personally, I believe the mindset of goodwill and open hearts that we possess around Christmas time, we should have all year round. The ‘Christmas spirit’
should certainly be the ‘human spirit’ in terms of how we treat others and our willingness to give.

‘It matters not what is under the tree but who’s around it’ is such a beautiful quote and so
as we reflect on what to buy for our loved ones, do not forget that the best gifts come from within. While presents under the tree are okay, I think it makes no sense if we only give people the ‘presents’ when there is no love, happiness, human connection, joy– the good stuff.
Christmas is not only a time for giving, but it is also a time for receiving and reflection.

If someone gave you a gift you do not entirely like, what do you do? If you start to dislike the person because of the gift they gave you, what does that say about yourself? While we collect the fancy stuff and pleasant emotions and keep them, what do we do with the unpleasant emotions people throw at us? This last question worries me because we give so much of ourselves to people that sometimes we forget to take care of our own selves. Receiving unpleasant emotions from others should not be on your list of things you want from Santa, so why are you still putting up with it?

‘Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas’ said Calin Coolidge.

It matters not your religious beliefs or knowledge, Christmas and the tradition of generosity should always be practised. As Guyanese, our culture is slowly shifting towards the era of grand Christmas parties and lavish shopping sprees, it is important that we also be on the alert for thieves/robberies. Stay safe, avoid walking alone, especially in the nights and secure your houses. Most importantly, while acknowledging Christianity and its belief of Jesus’ birth, we should also remember another important meaning of Christmas which is, to cherish those around us and share our love with them in any way possible, help those who needs our help
and of course, we take care of ourselves first. Merry Christmas to you all!