Tag: Christmas

For some people, including me, no Christmas ever goes by without remembrance of childhood. Scenes of trees, sleighs and snow, remind me of my Christmases in sweltering hot weather. See, I was born in the Southern Hemisphere, in South America, where December is summertime.

For my family the snowy tree scenes so popular in the Northern Hemisphere made no sense at all. Besides, they said, what do trees have to do with the birth of Jesus?

Ah, also, real trees were expensive for folks of modest means like us, and they only lasted one season. Some fancy people had fake trees, like those shimmering aluminum ones, but that was equally out of our range.

But my Christmases were unforgettable!

The extended family in which I grew somehow managed to instill in all of us kids that experiences differ according to condition. The trick is to understand the condition, accept it, and build rituals of cheerful dedication.

The ritual of Christmas included us kids scouring the neighborhood for discarded wood, the older kids bringing sand from the beach, one of my uncles cutting branches with lovely leaves, and another uncle building the frame of what was to be the most beautiful Nativity Scene you have ever seen.

The gathering and building are what stand out in my memory.

The uncle whose job was to build the Nativity frame expected teamwork and precision (he was a draughtsman for the army). The uncle in charge of bringing the branches collected them from a veritable jungle that stood mysteriously abandoned for decades in the back of his property.

Gathering and transporting sand required deep planning. The gathering had to be when it was not too hot and the beach was not covered with sunbathing folks. Transporting entailed avoidance of market days when lots of people who also depended on the local streetcar brought home numerous bags of produce (and often a live chicken). My Dad, given that he was known for destroying a wall while trying to hammer in a small nail, did not participate in the building of the Nativity Scene. His job was the Christmas dinner.

Once the frame was built, the canopy of greenery was in place, and the sand was spread evenly on the frame’s platform, we kids were allowed to place rocks and other nature items that we felt were appropriate on the sand.

Lastly came the piece de resistance.

The adults cautiously and lovingly unwrapped the Holy Family, the Angel (the Bible does not mention an angel present at the manger, but Nativity Scenes like to have one), the Three Wise Men (the Bible does not say how many there were, but makes sense to say 3 since they brought 3 gifts), the shepherds and their sheep (yes, mentioned), and the cow and donkey (nothing about them in the Bible, but they fit the story so beautifully).

And voila, there was the Nativity Scene, to us a beautiful and joyous scene that seemed to shout “Hey, cooperation and good will can work. How abut spreading them around as far and wide as you can?”

To this day, although I now live where it is cold in December, I set up a little Nativity Scene at Christmas time. I am happy that my little granddaughters cooperate setting up their tiny Scene in their room every year, the featured picture of this Christmas article.

Have a wonderful Christmas or Hanukkah (they fall on the same day this year), or just celebrate the Season. Best wishes for a prosperous and peaceful 2025.

Marcy Berry
Just Vote No Editor

Although Easter is the holiest of days for those of the Christian faith, Christmas on December 25th, Jesus’ birthday, is the day most celebrated. With the celebrations come messages of new tidings, redemption, and rebirth.

The new tidings are not to say that Jesus denied the Old Testament. On the contrary, he said in Matthew 5:17 “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” Yet, he delivered a kinder, gentler message than that in the Old Testament. The Old Testament laid down the Laws and warned how the wrath of God would rain upon sinners. The New Testament observed the Laws but added God’s mercy and redemption.

If we were to use today’s parlance, we might venture to describe Jesus’ message as one of inclusivity and diversity! This is the King of Kings (on earth, in the lineage of David; in Heaven, the Son of God) but born in a manger. He blessed the meek, the poor, the peacemakers (Matthew 5:1-12). He drove the devil out of sinners (Matthew 8:28-34). And he jousted verbally with the Devil himself, rejecting the Devil’s three temptations in a most rational manner (Matthew 4:1-11). Interestingly, Jesus even recognized the place of religion and the state: “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:21).

A good summary of Jesus’ new tidings would be in his conversation with his disciples during the supper that was to be his last. It is recorded in Matthew 13:34-35.

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another … By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

There were miracles on the first Christmas, the day Jesus was born. An angel appeared in the fields where the shepherds were tending their sheep and told them about the birth, so they could come and see the Baby (Luke 2:8-20). A star appeared in the east and guided the three Kings to Jesus, with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:9-11).

It would be wonderful if at this Christmas time all peoples of the world, regardless of their faith, would experience the miracle of realizing that love for one another makes more sense than divisiveness and belligerence.

Merry Christmas, everyone.