Putting Christ back into Christmas

Dec 13, 2024

Faithfully Speaking - Julie Lim Seet Yin
Christians all over the world celebrate Christmas to remember the birth of Jesus Christ. For Roman Catholics, the First Sunday of Advent is when we begin preparing ourselves spiritually for the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ. When Christmas arrives, we participate at Mass on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. Then we return home to have a delightful meal with our family members, exchange presents and sing carols.

Over the years, Christmas has lost its true meaning, probably because of the influence of malls that go all out to deck the halls with pomp displays of dazzling lights, tinsel, mistletoe, and Christmas trees. They organise Christmas markets and invite carollers to entertain shoppers as they browse through the stalls and shops.

Christmas has become so commercial and secular that many non-Christians perceive Christmas to be solely about beautiful decorations and shopping. I find it awkward whenever I see non- Christians putting up Christmas trees at home and doing all the non-religious Christmassy stuff without realising that Christmas is actually a Christian religious festival to remember the birth of Jesus Christ. Christians could also forget the true meaning of Christmas, especially when we’re lost in the business of merry-making. We forget about the “Christ” in “Christ-mas”. Interestingly, the name of Christmas was cleverly conceived so that we don’t forget the true reason for the season.

Despite of the commercialisation of Christmas, there are subtle signs of Christianity amidst secularism. A few weeks before the start of Advent, I was browsing Christmas decorations on sale at a major shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur. I was surprised to see three statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary displayed for sale together with the decorations. They were made of porcelain and decently priced. In Malaysia, Catholic religious items are only sold at religious stores. Therefore, to see statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary on sale at a non-religious, commercial store is heartwarming, at least for me. The significant role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the birth of Christ is another aspect that we tend to forget at Christmas. I was tempted to purchase one of the statues but I already have enough statues at home.

The other pet peeve I have about the commercialisation of Christmas is when malls and shops don’t play Christmas songs that has “Christ” mentioned in the lyrics. But having said that, there are certain commercial places that do so, like hotels and smaller shops.

The importance of singing religious Christmas songs reminded me of my teenage years growing up in Port Klang. I joined the youth group and we would go carolling from house to house during the yuletide season to spread festive cheer. In keeping to the true meaning of Christmas, the parish priest at that time requested that we only sing religious songs such as Silent Night, O Holy Night and When a Child Is Born. No commercial Christmas songs were allowed. Our carolling booklet certainly did not have I Saw Mummy Kissing Santa Clause or Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer.

As Christmas draws near, let us not forget the Christ whom we are anticipating. May we continue to share His messages of love, peace, joy and hope to the people around us – our family members, friends, colleagues and loved ones. When we make that a mission for our faith, it is only then that we put Christ back into Christmas.

(Julie Lim Seet Yin believes that a satisfied life measured by one’s heart, mind and soul is better than a successful life measured by worldly yardsticks.)