Last Sunday I wrote that we do not have leaders—or heroes—in our society.
It is Christmas Day, and I do not want to be too critical today of who we are, or what we have allowed ourselves to become. But one of the reasons - perhaps the main reason - why true leaders do not arise from our midst, is because we are all too indifferent about who we are and what we can become? I ask this as a question, rather than deliver it as a statement.
Maybe we can use this day, the “Birthday anniversary” of one of Earth’s great religions, to try to retrieve some of what we once had, or observed, in the past, before we joined the massive commercial sellout of Christmas.
And we did not create this sellout on our own, but we accepted it, sights, sounds and snowmen, from the United States! And all to the detriment of our own customs, food, music and indeed, faiths.
Everyone “celebrates” Christmas in T&T, just as everyone celebrates, but to a less fervent extent, Divali and Eid el Fitr. But we no longer celebrate the event of some 2011 years ago, in a little village called Bethlehem, where a baby was born in a stable, and people apparently gathered in awe to gaze upon this child, who would be declared to be the Son of God, and who came to save the world.
Everyone “celebrates” Christmas in T&T, just as everyone celebrates, but to a less fervent extent, Divali and Eid el Fitr. But we no longer celebrate the event of some 2011 years ago, in a little village called Bethlehem, where a baby was born in a stable, and people apparently gathered in awe to gaze upon this child, who would be declared to be the Son of God, and who came to save the world.
Oh, a few people still do observe this anniversary in a serious and contemplative manner. But most, including most Christians, celebrate Christmas in an orgy of gluttony, greed and over indulgence.
The symbols of Christmas, the stable, the parents, the Baby, the Three Wise Men who had followed a bright star to lead them to this event, have all long been replaced with new “branding”.
The symbols of Christmas, the stable, the parents, the Baby, the Three Wise Men who had followed a bright star to lead them to this event, have all long been replaced with new “branding”.
The symbol of Christmas is a fat old man with a white beard and a red suit, who is pulled through the sky in a sled powered by flying reindeer. “Santa Claus” comes down our chimneys (some wealthy Trinis even put fake chimneys on their roofs!) and leaves masses of presents under a fake fir tree, decorated with bright balls and baubles.
Our radio stations all play “seasonal music” for weeks leading up to Christmas Day. While a few of the songs have a religious theme (as the event is meant to be), most of the music consists of either “happy chirpy” or mournful reminisces about sleigh rides through the snow, “Jack Frost” nipping at our noses, and the snowman we made and called “farmer Brown”. Our shopping malls and wealthy homes are “decorated” with snow scenes and Santa’s elves in order to make us feel that this is all “Christmas”.
Folks, this is not “our Christmas”.
Our radio stations all play “seasonal music” for weeks leading up to Christmas Day. While a few of the songs have a religious theme (as the event is meant to be), most of the music consists of either “happy chirpy” or mournful reminisces about sleigh rides through the snow, “Jack Frost” nipping at our noses, and the snowman we made and called “farmer Brown”. Our shopping malls and wealthy homes are “decorated” with snow scenes and Santa’s elves in order to make us feel that this is all “Christmas”.
Folks, this is not “our Christmas”.
Even if, like me, you are not deeply into the religious aspects of the advent and the event, you will remember (except those under 40, I guess?) that we Trinis used to celebrate Christmas as a “Sunshine Thing”.
We have one of the most beautiful Christmas musical genres worldwide, with our original Parang. And I say “original” because this lilting danceable music is also being corrupted on the altars of gluttony and bad taste.
The traditional greeting “Happy Christmas”, is being replaced locally by the American (Government imposed!) “Happy Holidays”, and the traditional Christmas Tree (where that came from, by the way, I never heard of it back there and then in Bethlehem?) at the White House is now called the “Holiday Tree”!
The traditional greeting “Happy Christmas”, is being replaced locally by the American (Government imposed!) “Happy Holidays”, and the traditional Christmas Tree (where that came from, by the way, I never heard of it back there and then in Bethlehem?) at the White House is now called the “Holiday Tree”!
And this not necessarily to appease Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists—who I do not believe object to other religions celebrating their festivals—but by atheists.
So businesses and people here are now conforming to that, and publishing ads and greeting each other with “Happy Holidays”, instead of “Happy Christmas”. Can anyone in advertising or elsewhere tell me why they are doing this?
So my gift, or at least wish, for all of you this Christmas Morning, is that we all just “take back” to Christmas we celebrated for years.
So my gift, or at least wish, for all of you this Christmas Morning, is that we all just “take back” to Christmas we celebrated for years.
Play parang instead of sleigh bells, remove the plastic blow-up snowmen from our lawns, where incongruously we sit in shorts and open shirts, and begin to believe in ourselves again, and in the joy of sharing Christmas like we used to.
We live in T&T, not in Vermont! Tell your children that the gifts they get are in commemoration of the Gifts the Three Wise Men brought for the baby Jesus, and not from Rudolph.
And if we can appreciate who we are at Christmas, maybe we can begin to find our self esteem as a people, and from there build a society which can eventually put forth the Leaders we so desperately need. Do you think that you can try this?
And if we can appreciate who we are at Christmas, maybe we can begin to find our self esteem as a people, and from there build a society which can eventually put forth the Leaders we so desperately need. Do you think that you can try this?
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