humanity is in a momentous season immersed in dual celebrations. The first segment has to do with our awareness of the year which is crawling to an end and the joy inherent in holidaying for the period. This aspect however makes a greater meaning in parts of the world where going on holidays shares the same inviolable degree of a religious pilgrimage. The global North cherishes it and looks forward to it unlike their counterparts in the Southern axis where economic morass and its heightening mountains makes holiday-making a luxury for the impoverished majority.
Remarkably, the second leg of the celebration coincides with the first, enhanced by a combination of religious observances and gaiety that emanates from the significance of Christmas on December 25. The universal appeal of that day underscores the preeminence of Jesus Christ whose birth symbolically helped to alter the blighted course of mankind in a remarkable way. It’s not for nothing that the annual occasion illuminates the reason for the veneration of this extraordinary being, who besides his phenomenal birthday, also elicits mass adoration of devout Christians on his resurrection after three days of crucifixion.
What makes his birth a rare occurrence was that mankind heard a lot of prophecies from a category of prophets that included Isaiah and Jeremiah who spoke so assuredly of the birth of a man who would taste death but would rise in three days, in fulfilment of God’s promise to redeem mankind. Of course, his birth and exploits are captured in the New Testament. Virtually all the Synoptic gospels detail the story of the birth of Jesus in circumstances that defy human understanding. Born of a virgin Mary and adored as a king, even in infancy, he remains the only religious personage who was not sired by man. The Bible tells us that all this happened to fulfill a prophecy: “Behold a virgin shall be with a child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call him Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us.
For centuries, Jesus has been the reason for the season characterized by preparations that pervade the entire place; different decorations in mostly red and white colours; Christmas trees that beckon to all in sheer beauty and effervescence; endless joy of children who relish this period for its sweet gains; movement of people from one place to another in search of fun that could enliven their lives, and the annual shopping which has been too low this year because of economic downturn remotely attributable to the serial poor leaderships but aggravated by the twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and naira flotation by the Tinubu administration.
Indeed, this year’s Christmas will be the worst in the annals of celebrations by Nigerians since independence. The financial lack by a preponderant number of Nigerians and the soaring prices of goods and services as a result of inflation would eventually make it a day without mirth, without bliss, merry-less, without fun, and most probably without good food, sumptuous meals that people ought to eat as they did in the bygone years. The lack of food as a pervasive feature of hunger which is stalking the land has created pictures of adults that are suffering and skipping meals, while a vast population of infants reflect the picture often seen on television broadcasts from war-torn countries.
It’s a big pain that most men have been unmanned to the point of not being able to play their role as breadwinners. What’s the worth of a man who had been rendered impotent, economically speaking? The other day I watched twelve men leave a popular supermarket one by one as they were confounded by the price labels on items they wanted to buy. They wore the countenance of a people enmeshed in misery. Like my compatriots in the vulnerable category, I hardly look at the wine section of the same popular supermarket in Asaba each time I went there in the last six months. With a particular brandy which I love now selling for N17,000 per bottle, getting it every other day will entail huge opportunity cost.
It’s not surprising that the past three weeks had gone without the traditional Christmas carols playing at many public places. There used to be a song titled Mary’s Boy Child popularised by the iconic Boney M that we so loved in our growing years decades ago that listening to it captivated us. But in a few places where I have heard it play lately, it hardly animated the large audience which comprised of many men that seemed absentminded while listening to it.
Yes, times are hard, much harder and more challenging than last year, but we cannot discountenance the message of Christmas which demonstrates the virtue of selfless giving as an incomparable aspect of the sacrificial life led by Jesus Christ for the sake of man. This is explicit in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gaveth His only so and whosoever believeth in him will have eternal life”. It also finds expression in Apostle Paul’s exhortation to the Collisians to be thankful to God for the gift of Jesus Christ, “in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of our sins”.
Some pertinent questions arise at this juncture: How many among our compatriots can reenact the sacrifice of Jesus Christ? How many of us can volitionally give up little of their material possessions, let alone stake their lives vicariously so that other people may live? How many Christians exemplify this striking Christ-like attribute beyond mere verbal profession of self-righteousness? How many of us can attend to the monetary needs of our neighbours before we go to the church and make huge financial pledges?
The best way to observe the Christmas is imbibing its major lession and resolving to lead a life of giving, devoid of any conditionality. It’s incumbent on each of us as members of the human community to always seek legitimate means to enrich other people’s lives through little sacrifices. Despite the prostrate state of our currency vis-a-vis global currencies, the gift of N1000 to a needy will make a huge difference in his life. There lies the true essence of our lives! Neither frolicking nor overindulgence in the social aspects of the day conveys the significance of Christ’s birth on Christmas Day. Happy Christmas in advance!
