Balancing Christmas as Malaysian: Spiritual vs Secular Christmas?

In a week’s time, we will be celebrating Christmas. Every year we hear the same lamentations on decorations getting more elaborate, celebrations getting more luxurious and so on. Christmas is becoming worldly and secular.

Dec 15, 2023

MAKING SENSE - Emmanuel Joseph

In a week’s time, we will be celebrating Christmas. Every year we hear the same lamentations on decorations getting more elaborate, celebrations getting more luxurious and so on. Christmas is becoming worldly and secular.

The reality is, it isn’t Christmas that is getting more secular, it is the world in general. Consumerism is driving us, with more malls than churches, and growing. Hotels, shopping centres, restaurants offer promotions to stay relevant, especially in a post-COVID economy that has yet to recover.

Festivities, like Christmas, therefore, have become a competition to outdo each other — to get the most footfall. It has more to do with business and economic interests than it does to celebrate a Christian holiday.

For individuals, it could be a celebration marking the end of another year of working and striving and surviving. To celebrate being able to put food on the table, educate their children and manage to stay healthy in a hectic world.

In response to all this, we hear the same exhortations from Christian leaders with oft-repeated slogans, “keep Christ in Christmas”, “Jesus is the Reason for the Season”, usually with recommendations of reflection, bible-reading, family prayer or similar.

Christians are also often advised to keep their celebrations moderate, refrain from overindulgence and merriment, as that is unchristian.

But even at a secular level, with the same breath, Christmas is often paired with a thematic ‘spirit’, ‘message’ or ‘magic’ —made popular perhaps by Christmas popular culture via holiday movies and songs.

It is as synonymous with Christmas as ‘good fortune’ is with Chinese New Year, or ‘forgiveness’ is with Hari Raya.
Unlike the succinct nature of the other two, this ‘Christmas Spirit’ can be open to interpretation.

To some, it is forgiveness, to live and let live. To others, it’s exchanging presents, to give and get gifts.

More Blessed to Give
At the heart of it though, as a common golden thread, would lie some form of benevolence, compassion, or goodness, which would be extraordinary, above and beyond our usual lives.

Some manage to include the less fortunate in their celebrations — hosting Christmas parties for orphanages and old folks’ homes, street feeding endeavours and so forth.

Others donate old clothes, books, toys, and decorations. Even if it is to make way for new ones, is not some good derived from the ‘secularism’?

A balance can be made from celebrating the season, keeping the focus on Christ, while still sharing it with others, be it friends or the less fortunate.

For every few new clothes or toys that we buy, buy an extra to donate (on top of any pre-loved ones).
For every celebratory meal, allocate a portion aside to feed the next hungry person you see.

For every few gifts we give out, take a card from one of those charity Christmas trees and make someone’s holiday!
For every party we attend, listen to a religious reflection on the season.

The list goes on, the idea being to increase our giving in thanksgiving for whatever we receive.

No Peace in the Manger
This Christmas too, as Christians in Muslim majority Malaysia, we can’t escape being affected by what’s going on in the Middle East.

The concern is twofold — the discomfort over celebrations itself, as seen by the issues with the Coldplay concert.
The second is the celebration of Christmas — seen by the issue raised in Sarawak over the singing of O Holy Night at a government event (which has since been resolved)

Perhaps to complicate matters further, Christians have historical ties with Israel and the Jewish people, so it is natural to have mixed feelings about the situation.

It is important to differentiate the prophets and people of Israel of the Bible with the present-day state and political situation which have little to do with each other apart from happening in the same geographical area.
Loss of lives, whichever side, is wrong and to take it, morally reprehensible.

Jesus Himself rebuked moral wrongdoings, even arguing with teachers and religious teachers during His ministry, and exposed hypocrisy.

Moreover, the ongoing war isn’t a question of religion, despite anyone’s attempt to paint the narrative as such. To put into context, 18 per cent of Israelis are Muslim, and only 1.9 per cent Christian. There are proportionally more Muslims in Israel then there are Christians in Malaysia.

It is a geopolitical issue that deserves our sympathy and action.

But how do we reconcile the troubles at Jesus’ birthplace, the realities and sensitivity around it, and our own celebration of Christmas?

With wisdom and compassion for the suffering of our fellow human beings, descendants of the shepherds who first received the good news from the angelic herald.
O Come Divine Messiah

More than ever, should we remind ourselves now of the celebration that is Christmas — God becoming man to be with us.

Now, more so than ever, in the uncertainty of politics and the economy. With war and strife in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Of rising intolerance, radicalism, and counterradicalism everywhere.

To be vigilant, faithful, trusting in the Infant Jesus and the greater plan He brings.

To be mindful of the sufferings of others, the concerns of our neighbours, the needs of those who have less than us, and our own spiritual need to grow.

To wait in faith, hope and love, and to celebrate it with compassion and charity.

A blessed Christmas to all HERALD readers, wishing you peace and love for the coming year.

(Emmanuel Joseph oversees IT as his 9-5 job and from 5-9, he serves a few NGOs, think tanks and volunteer groups. He serves as an advisor for Projek Dialog and is a Fellow with the Institute of Research and Development of Policy.)