Christmas Traditions
My friends often refer to me as Scrooge as my opinion of the majority of Christmas “tradition” is “Bah! Humbug!” My parents felt Christmas was overrated so I am not sure if this is genetic or natural development in anyone who has lived through fifty-nine Christmases. In previous blurbs I have commented on the fact that we do not know the actual date of Christ’s birth and that the current festival supplanted a midwinter event of drinking and feasting, now that pagan celebration seems to be making a comeback. Christianity is being edged out of the annual mayhem; it is time to disassociate ourselves from this debauchery and regroup.
There has been a lot in the press about our Christmas being the invention of Prince Albert and Charles Dickens (with the addition of Father Christmas’s red suit courtesy or Coca-Cola), but this is the secular celebrations and, apart from “church” filling the void between breakfast and lunch, nothing to do with the birth of Christ in preparation for the Crucifixion and Resurrection which were to bring salvation to mankind. Pre twentieth century people continued to work and life did not come to a grinding halt for a fortnight, after months of frenzied preparations. In a way the fact that shops are open on Boxing Day (be it Saturday or Monday this year) is harking back to the past, it is was, after all, the tradesmen at work on that day being presented with their Christmas Box (a bonus in money or in kind) that gave the day its name, and that giving was to commemorate God giving His son.
It is a shame that it is only the shops returning to work, they are not really getting back to basics, just cashing in on the fact that most people have time to browse the sales and spend money. Recently, I have heard people joke that if you “take Christ out of Christmas all you have left is M&S” and that “religion is taking the commercialism out of Christmas”, but I cannot help feeling this is like the “There is no God” posters on busses, unbelievers are doing out job for us, they are becoming so anxious about being tainted by religion that they raise its profile more than believers do.
Not only trade suffers this anxiety; science also has to justify itself. I understand research is important but some of it just beggar’s belief. This year I am pleased to announce that research shows angels cannot fly, as their wings, as portrayed in art, are aerodynamically wrong. Does anyone actually believe an angel is a gender non-specific person in a white dress, with large feathery wings? The Bible certainly does not describe them thus and only deems wings important in such things as the size of the temple (1Kings 6), passing between heaven and earth in Jacob’s dream angels used a ladder (Gen.10:12) and whilst they are known to appear and disappear the method is not defined – it could owe more to Startrek than to birds. On earth angels often seem human and it can take men a while to realise to whom they are speaking. For instance, Abraham sitting in his tent at Mamre, saw three men coming towards him and, as it was his habit to help strangers, rushed to greet them and offer hospitality, it was not until he met them that he realised it was the Lord and two angels (Gen.18:2). Angels are God’s messengers and can vary to suit any situation.
The shepherds, however, had no trouble recognising the angels that surrounded them on the hillside (Luke 2:8-14), these beings had no need to hide their identity they were openly praising God. We were made a little lower than angels (Heb.2:5-8) but we too need to act as messengers and proclaim the birth of Christ every day of the year.
