Two kinds of Christmas

Every year around Advent, a slew of Christmas-themed movies hits the cinemas. Some are deliberately cynical, others take a more conventional approach of highlighting positive seasonal virtues.

This year, one such film, The Polar Express, has won the hearts of many Christian critics for its representation of positive values.

And yet, even commendable movies such as these are distinctly secular, eschewing even the mention of the name Jesus, whose birth the feast of Christmas obviously marks.

So the “meaning of Christmas” is interpreted not as a celebration of the birth of the King of Peace, but as a vague concept that involves a set of agreeable virtues. Of course, these qualities correspond with the attributes of Christian living, but they do not constitute “the meaning of Christmas” (and should not be exercised only once a year).

To the perceptive Christian, it is evident that in films and on television, in shopping malls and in many homes, the jolly Santa Claus (who himself is based on a Christian saint) has assumed the Holy Family’s place.

It makes little difference whether the hymn Hark, The Herald Angels Sing provides the soundtrack to our collective Christmas experience, or the secular Jingle Bells. The meaningless phrase “season’s greetings” (or, worse, “compliments of the season”) has usurped the more traditional, Christ-centred salutations.

Christ truly has been removed from his own feast, except when it is opportune to let the relationship stand (hence the reappearance of Nativity scenes in many shops).

Shopping malls have indeed become the new cathedrals “where we worship material things and riches”, as the late English Cardinal Basil Hume once put it.

Many Catholics have capitulated and joined the secular razzmatazz, save for Christmas Mass and perhaps the lighting of Advent candles. Much of their time is spent in frantic preparation for Christmas, office parties, the obligatory New Year’s Eve bash, and planning the summer holidays, which coincide with the Christmas season.

Alas, the commendable “Put Christ back into Christmas” campaign has failed to resonate widely in our society, despite the best efforts of organisations such as the Knights of da Gama.

Yet, the message merits amplification as an appeal not only to society to acknowledge Christ’s part in Christmas, but also to individual Catholic families to celebrate the birth of the redeemer.

For the busy family, this inherently requires the celebration of two Christmases: the secular affair, which involves excessive spending and consumption; and the religious variant, which involves reflection, prayer and joy at the birth of our Lord–as well as reaching out to those who will not have a happy secular Christmas.

Taking the time to encounter the true meaning of Christmas can provide a spiritual oasis amid the commercial yuletide frenzy.

For many families it is not possible to opt out of the secular Christmas celebrations. Indeed, they can be joyous and affirming.

At the same time, however, we ought to find time to celebrate God’s gift of his Son to us, and the birth of Christ in our lives.