Putting the "CHRIST" and "MAS" Back in Christmas (and Other Thoughts on Christmas)

Putting the “CHRIST” and “MAS” back in Christmas.

“The celebration of Jesus’ birth!” That’s the general answer if you ask people what Christmas is about.  But, for most of them, in their hearts, “Jesus’ birthday” is just like another aspect of Christmas instead of the ultimate reason.  “Jesus’ birthday” is just right up there with the gifts and parties and the decorations and the holiday that defines what Christmas is for them.      

The word “Christmas” originates from “Christ” and “mass”, which basically means “worship.”  But there seems to be not enough of “Christ” and “worship” in modern observance of Christmas.  I am not saying that the features of the modern Christmas celebration – gifts, trees, lights, decorations, foods, reunions, parties, vacation, merrymaking, etc. – are diminishing the essence of Christmas.  But people tend to focus on them rather than to let these things point them to Christ and worship him.    

Christmas is a season worth rejoicing over because of Christ’s birth.  The actuality of this event in human history is such a big deal for it means that God dwelt among us.  Immanuel.  God with us.  Jesus is God incarnating as Man, to be the Representative and Savior of mankind; so that He can suffer and die in our place, ensuing our freedom from sin and our deliverance from eternal damnation.  

And, thus, as response, every feature of our Christmas – food, gifts, decorations, songs, festivities, etc. – should not be the source of our excitement and happiness this season, but let them merely help us to direct the focus of our ultimate joy in Jesus and let him be glorified by all aspects of our Christmas celebration.     

December 25 used to be a pagan date of celebration, but early Christians chose to sanctify the date and use it to commemorate Jesus’ birth instead.  Now, in a world that seems to forget why it’s rejoicing in the first place, let us, Christians, once again sanctify the modern practices of the holiday and point the rest of the world to the glory of Jesus Christ.  

Joy to the world!   The Lord is come!   

We celebrate Jesus’ birthday.  But, ironically, we get the gifts.

Most importantly, we are the ones who received the “Greatest Gift.”

Christmas is ultimately about God giving his own son (John 3:16); Jesus giving his life for a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). 

Thus, the “Greatest Gift” is the Birthday Celebrant himself, Jesus Christ.  And through Christ, we became recipients of grace, joy, hope, peace, salvation, eternal life, and the fellowship of God!  Such awesome Gift! 

That’s why Christmas is said to be the “Season of Giving.”  For God has given us so much.  Hence, we who have experienced the lavish extravagance of God’s giving can afford to give generously. 

Christmas Banes

People who haven’t grasped the blessing of Christmas don’t have the “Spirit of Giving.”  Rather, they have the “Spirit of Expecting of Receiving Something” or, worse, the “Spirit of Begging.”  There’s also the “Spirit of Christmas Cynicism” but I like to think that the moral of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has already taken most of it away from people.  Still, I will still touch upon the matter later on.  For now, let me talk of these major banes in Christmas: the “Spirit of Expecting of Receiving Something” and the “Spirit of Begging.”

A person with the “Spirit of Expecting of Receiving Something”, well, expects that he or she has to receive something for Christmas.   He or she believes that people around him or her are obliged to give him or her gifts.  Instead of thinking of what he or she can give to others, what this person is looking forward to are the stuff that he or she will get.  This is the kind of person that prepares an inadequate, thoughtless gift to join the “exchange gifts” with the intent of getting a superior thing in return.  And this is the kind of person who grumbles when the gift he or she receives during “exchange gifts” is inferior to the gift he or she prepared.    

The “Spirit of Begging” is just an extension of the “Spirit of Expecting of Receiving Something.”  But this now involves begging.  I have nothing against poor people.  But begging, for me, is only a shade lighter away from crime.  And, like crime, begging for money is reserved for two kinds of people: a.) the desperate; and b.) the callously shameless or conscienceless.  I don’t approve of chronic begging but I have some sympathy for those in the latter category and none for the second (I might expound on the matter in some future essay).  But, either way, I hate it when people use the greeting “Merry Christmas” as a means of begging.  Seriously, if you greet someone “Merry Christmas”, your intention is to give or, at least, bless the ones you are greeting.  For me, using the word “Christmas” as a means for begging is blasphemy. 

Look, if you are going to beg, just straight-up say that you are begging – “Do you have spare change?”, or “Alms! Alms!”, or anything that simply say that you are begging for money – and leave “Christmas” out of it.  Now, if you received something from the one you are begging from, then you can appropriately bless him or her with “Merry Christmas!” then.     

When beggars greet me with “Merry Christmas” as a means of begging, I simply smile and greet them a hearty “Merry Christmas!” back.  I have no right dictating how you can show your Christmas generosity.  But I suggest that you do likewise whenever beggars greet you with “Merry Christmas” in order to get money from you.  Don’t give money to those who beg by barefacedly exploiting Christmas.  Don’t encourage such blasphemous practice. 

Rather than give to this kind of beggars – who you aren’t sure anyway if they are indeed in poverty or are just lazy or belongs in a syndicate – give to people that you actually know – friends, relatives, acquaintances, churchmates, etc. – are in need.  Surely, you probably personally know people that could use some Christmas cheer.  These are the ones you should lavishly portray your Christmas generosity.   

Again, I can’t dictate you how you should practice your Christmas generosity.  But, at all times, let your Christmas generosity lead those people you chose to favor towards Christ.  Let your generosity direct them to the immeasurable generosity of Christ, that they may see that He is the Greatest Treasure Ever.   

In fact, that’s the best thing to give to those people you meet that have the “Spirit of Begging.”  Rather than give them money, take the time to tell them about Jesus.  These people actually need Jesus in their lives more than money (which is apparent from having the “Spirit of Begging” in their lives).  Do your best to let them see that Jesus is a Treasure that is infinitely greater than any material thing they can obtain from begging.  

I know of a Christian man that does it right.  When beggars come to his doorstep to ask for “Christmas”, instead of immediately giving them something, he would invite them in his house so he can tell them about Jesus.   Realizing that they probably won’t get any money from this man, these beggars would refuse and go away.  This is just sad.  The man was actually offering them something more valuable – Christ himself – than any “Christmas” they are expecting.         

On Carols

And due to this distorted outlooks of Christmas – “Spirit of Expecting of Receiving Something” and “Spirit of Begging” – carols which are meant to fill the air with Christmas cheer instead fill the air with noise.    

Most children carolers are motivated by the money or treats that they can receive from caroling. The greediness is apparent from the lack of effort they put in their caroling.   They don’t even bother practicing their song-set nor bother to master the lyrics of the songs.  They sing gibberish; are out of tune and out of beat; and gets mad and sings a mocking song whenever they don’t receive anything from those they are caroling, i.e. the ones they expect to get money from.  

Caroling, like all other features of Christmas, is about giving.  The primary purpose of going house to house and singing Christmas carols is to spread Christmas cheer and declare Christ’s glory in the season, NOT to get money from the people you are caroling to.

Every December, caroling is an activity in our church.  We go to impoverished communities and visit our poor members and their neighbors.  We sing carols and then give them rice.  This is caroling done right –giving!  It’s a wonderful tradition that I’m proud I’m part of. 

      

As a Sunday School teacher and an elementary teacher, I have the opportunity to tell my students the proper attitude of caroling.  I tell them that they should have a heart of giving whenever they go caroling.  As children, they are limited financially, thus, caroling is the best opportunity they have to give to people.  They should sing Christmas songs with all their heart; let people enjoy their singing.  Don’t expect or ask money from the houses they are caroling.  If they are given something, then be thankful.  And even if people don’t give them anything, don’t grumble but still be cheerful and thankful.     

There’s this beautiful Christmas short that a local network ran years ago.  A group of children went caroling, and they stopped on a house belonging to an old man spending Christmas Eve alone.  Hearing the children singing, the old man started feeling his pockets for some coins, but there were none.  He went outside and apologized to the children that he doesn’t have anything to give, and then went back inside.  The children looked at each other for a second.  Then, they started singing again.  They shouted that it’s okay, that they will sing for free.  It made the old man smile.  The children finished their song, and, lastly, greeted the old man a hearty Merry Christmas.  Beautiful!  That for me defined how children should proceed with caroling.         

 

Again, I have no right to tell you how you should practice your Christmas generosity.   Give them money or treats (it’s preferable if you give them treats rather than money) or none, it’s up to you.  But, again, like with beggars, let your generosity lead them to Jesus.  Tell them about Jesus and how valuable he is than any material things they can obtain.  Invite them to Sunday School.  Give them Gospel tracts for children.  Actually give them Something more substantial than money or treats.       

   

It is understandable to an extent because these children who go caroling to get money know nothing better.  Unfortunately, many of these children grow up without actually realizing that Christmas is about giving.  They grow up thinking the rest of the world is obliged to give them something during something, hence, exploiting Christmas to get money.  That’s why children, as young as they are, need to know Jesus during Christmas.    

The harm of the Santa Claus myth

I have nothing against Santa Claus as a fictional character (I know he’s based on an actual historical person, but the pop culture representation of old St. Nick is, of course, fantasy).  In fact, like other fictional heroes, whose qualities we admire about them are projected in our admiration of the supremely admirable God, Santa Claus the fictional character can do likewise.  My problem is how people would fool children by declaring that this mythological Santa Claus is actually real, and would give them gifts during Christmas if they behave.  These children will grow up and eventually realize the truth that Santa Claus is fictional, but the “Spirit of Expecting of Receiving Something” and materialism is already implanted in them by years of expecting gifts from Santa.  Hence, the Santa Claus mythology is what charms them and not the reality of Jesus Christ, the real reason of the season – Someone that is infinitely more exciting than Santa Claus.  As John Piper brilliantly analyzed:   

"It is mindboggling to me that any Christian would even contemplate such a trade, that we would divert attention away from the incarnation of the God of the universe into this world to save us and our children. . . . Not only is Santa Claus not true — and Jesus is very truth himself — but compared to Jesus, Santa is simply pitiful, and our kids should be helped to see this.

"Santa Claus offers only earthly things, nothing lasting, nothing eternal. Jesus offers eternal joy with the world thrown in — the fire engine is thrown in (1 Corinthians 3:21–23).

"Santa Claus offers his ephemeral goodies only on the condition of good works: 'He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you’re awake, he knows when you have been bad or good, so be good for goodness’ sake.' That is a pure works religion. And Jesus offers himself all the gifts freely, by grace, for faith.

"Santa Claus is make-believe. Jesus is more real than the roof on your house.

"Santa Claus only shows up once a year. Jesus promises, 'I will be with you always' (Matthew 28:20). You say to your kid every night: 'He is standing by your bed. He is with you when you get up in the morning. He is with you when you go to school today. If mommy and daddy die, he will be right there with you.' Santa doesn’t hold a candle to this flame, Jesus.

"Santa Claus cannot solve our worst problem. Jesus did solve our worst problem, our sin and our alienation from God. Santa Claus can put some icing on the cake of the good life, but he cannot take a shattered life and rebuild it with hope forever. And our kids need to know that about Christmas.

"Santa Claus is not relevant in many cultures of the world. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords over all the peoples of the world.

"Santa Claus will be forgotten some day and Jesus 'is the same yesterday and today and forever' (Hebrews 13:8).

"So there is no contest here. I cannot see why a parent, if they know and love Jesus, if they have found Jesus to be the greatest treasure in the world, why they would bring Jesus out of the celebration and Santa into the celebration at all — I mean, he is just irrelevant. He has nothing to do with it. He is zero.

"So my counsel is to give all your efforts to making your children as happy as they can possibly be with every kind of surprise that is rooted in the true meaning of Christmas. Let your decorations point to Jesus. Let your food point to Jesus. Let your games point to Jesus. Let your singing point to Jesus. Out-rejoice the world, out-give the world, out-decorate the world, and let it all point to Jesus.

"If being Jesus-focused is a killjoy for your Christmas, you don’t know him well."

The sooner children know that Santa Claus isn’t real and his philosophy can’t satisfy, then the sooner they can go on a more exciting path towards Jesus Christ. 

Why bother with Christmas

One of the songs we sing during our church caroling is “Christmas Without Christ”, which goes like this:

"Why bother with the tree?

Why bother with the lights?

If you ignore the meaning of that first silent night.

Why bother with an angel?

Why bother with the gifts?

If you ignore the message Jesus Christ came to give.

Christmas without Christ

There's no Savior, there's no joy

Christmas without Christ

There's no reason to rejoice

Christmas without Christ

Oh, it makes me wanna cry

Why bother having Christmas without Christ?"

It’s easy to be cynical on how the Christmas season has become.  With the trees, the gifts, the decors, the parties, and all that stuff, it feels like that Christmas has become a time for commercialism, compulsory spending, and obligatory merrymaking.  Thus, Christmas begins to feel onerous and empty.  And it is… if Christ is not made the center of it all.  Just as what Charlie Brown and the gang learned in the classic Christmas cartoon, A Charlie Brown Christmas (which I have watched countless times already during the Christmas season), Christmas is stressful and burdensome if we forget what it’s really about: Jesus Christ. 

Because if Christ is the center of our Christmas celebrations, all these things we bother about – exchanging presents, singing carols, putting up trees and lights and decorations, preparing festivities and food – have significance, for all of these are merely directing us to the hope and rapturous joy that is solely found in the Birthday Celebrant. Hence, we can derive a genuine and meaningful – and even yearlong – celebration, because there is much to rejoice about in Jesus Christ. 

Happy birthday, Jesus.  Merry Christmas, everyone.   

Read More

Chain of Thoughts on My Family's Christmas 2013 Trip

During the Christmas week (Dec 21-30), my family went travelling around Cavite, Laguna, Metro Manila, Baguio, and La Union.  We attended a wedding, had reunions with friends and relatives, went to see the sights, and had the obligatory picture-takings.  Here are some of my notes and insights during the trip:

 - I forgot to bring my sunglasses.  And couldn’t find a new pair that would fit/look good on me during the entire time of our travel.  Its absence was a constant disadvantage to me throughout the trip.

- Nagged a lot about air con buses.  Travelling at night in them is freezing.  That is already uncomfortable, but it also totally enhances every other travelling discomfort a traveler has.

- Food and other products sold in bus “stop-overs” are around 50% (of its reasonable, usual selling price) overpriced.  If I have the mind of a conspiracy theorist, my train of thinking won’t find it hard to find a correlation between the air con buses and the “stop-overs”; air con buses would make their interiors horribly cold on purpose, so that their passengers would be forced to buy overpriced cup noodles or coffee to offset the coldness.  That’s how I see it.

- I find the staff and management of fast food chains in Legazpi friendlier and more efficient than the staff and management of the fast food chains we have encountered during our trip.  Especially in Pacita Complex, San Pedro, Laguna; the KFC branch there almost ruined the Christmas Eve for us.

- Went to Enhanted Kingdom for the first time.  The only available tickets are those for unlimited rides, so we had those.  I rode this bad boy…

…and was so shaken by the experience that I refused to try other rides anymore (4D movie doesn’t count as a ride).  Look.  Throughout my life, I never rode any carnival rides more extreme than the Ferris Wheel.  Thus, I was not used to it.  Also had a headache afterwards.

- It’s still my dream to go to Disneyland someday.   But I’ll probably avoid the extreme rides. 

- Funny how people are willing to pay money so that they can experience terror. 

- Went to Manila Zoo for the first time.  I’ve got the same opinion of it as I have its city: it’s crowded and unimpressive.  It was the first time I saw an elephant and a hippo in person though. 

The elephant was as bored as me.

- Seriously.  Metro Manila’s air is thick with pollution.  And there’s too much traffic and crowds.  I don’t have the patience and the constitution to live in it. 

- Also went to Luneta and Manila Ocean Park (but did not go see any shows) for the first time.  (Also dropped by Mall of Asia [my third time to be there])   

The thing that thrilled me about Manila Ocean Park was there’s a great view of a US Navy ship docked in Manila de Bay.  I feel like a badass.

- Saw this in Luneta:  

The Korean War was arguably the time in which the Filipino military had its shiniest moment in international warfare history.  

- Baguio’s road ambience, taxis (which mostly are large cars like Crosswinds and Innovas), and taxi drivers’ driving greatly reminded me of the anime Initial D.

- The place we stayed in Baguio – Asia Pacific Thelogical Seminary (APTS) – has a more awesome view that Mines View Park. 

 I exaggerate not.

- Baguio is a pretty nice place.  Especially where the trees are rampant (particularly, Camp John Hay).  We checked out all the sites there.

Burnham Park. Only tourist spot in Baguio where we encountered beggars.

Strawberry farm.  Was foggy when we went there.  Fog is a staple there; greatly reminds me of horror films and Silent Hill.

Bell Church.  Seriously, why is there a lot of Chinese temples in our country?  Just shows how significant and deep China influences our country.  Let’s not pretend that we’re going to war with them someday.  Sigh.  Our country is more or less prepared for occupation.  Hmp. 

Mine’s View Park. Very crowded with tourists.  Taking photos with St. Bernards is a trademark in this place.  I was not interested in having a picture taken with a costumed Beethoven, until I saw this dog dressed as an Igorot.  Now, that’s brilliant and adorable.  I just had to have a photo with it.  His name’s “Casper.”  No one there was clever enough to name a St. Bernard “Beethoven.”

The Mansion. According to what I heard, the President is supposed to be spending his vacation there till New Year.

 Clean Comfort Room. You can find this in all tourist spots in Baguio. It seems there are more of these than McDonald’s branches in Baguio.

Botanical Garden. There’s a miniature Golden Gate bridge where you can pretend you are a Kaiju on an onslaught.

And I can’t help but pretend that this is the yellow brick road towards Emerald City. 

 Camp John Hay. This is, hands down, the best part of Baguio.

First thing that came to my mind when I saw the awesome forest sceneries: “Let’s take pictures as if we’re in the Hunger Games!” 

“Ukay-Ukay” at Harrison Road. Tried my hand on it. No luck getting some cool stuff. Just not my thing, maybe.

This Haunted House? It’s President Marcos’ former property, seized by the PCGG.

- Baguio City, though generally refreshing because of the dominant nature presence, is not immune to littering and garbage mismanagement problems.

- There was also some medium to heavy traffic in Baguio when we were there.  This is due to the amount of tourists – many of whom brought their own vehicles with them – coming up to the city at that time of year.  Getting a taxi ride is a hassle, too.   Baguio is probably as crowded in Christmas season as it is during the summer.

- After Baguio, we went to La Union, our last stop. 

After the cool, foggy mountain comes the hot, steamy beach.

- To Kuya Orly, Ate Ana and Kuya Edgar, Kuya Griam, Pastor Rey and Ma’am June, Ate Remy, Pastor Arlan and Family, Kuya Oca and Ate Pressy, and the entire Trinity Gospel Church – San Fernando: my family is greatly thankful for your loving hearts, as you graciously served as our hosts, tour guides, and/or liaisons that made our trip a truly blessed one.  May God bless you greatly for your generosity and thoughtfulness. 

- “Home is where the heart is.”  That is so true.  Was so restless to go back home.  So restless to go back to my heart.     

For more photos of the trip, check them out in “My Photos”; these memories are now part of my life in pictures… 

Read More

RE: Christmas Exchange Gifts

“Exchange gifts” – whether straight-up random exchanging of gifts among participants, “Kris Kringle”, “Secret Santa”, “Manito/Manita”, or whatever variation of it – is a popular feature of the current Christmas season culture we are familiar with.  When done right, it is incredibly fun for everyone.  However, when commercialism starts touching the activity, prices of the gifts are compared and assessed; murmuring and frowns are stirred; disappointment is cultivated on the hearts; and, worst of all, goodwill is ruined – thus, the whole point of “exchange gifts” is killed.

A price standard is set.  “The gift should be worth at least 100 pesos!”  We prepare a good gift.  The gift we prepared might even significantly exceed 100 pesos.  And we expect that the gift we receive in return at least matches the quality and worth of the gift we give.  We don’t want to get terrible clichéd gifts such as calendars, photo albums, or picture frames.  Mugs are tolerated… if of good value or design.  Then, we rage if the worth of the gift we receive is obviously less than the agreed price standard. 

If this is our attitude, well, we should definitely change it.  Because it’s appalling. 

This is also true the other way around: those who intentionally give inferior gifts; who are so cheap to buy something around the decided price standard, making no effort of preparing their best – just preparing something for the sake qualifying for the “exchange gifts”, to exchange their bad gifts for something superior. 

Both cases are wrong because both have the same wrong purpose in participating in “exchange gifts”… and that is, to be able to RECEIVE SOMETHING, and NOT to be able to GIVE SOMETHING.      

Seriously, isn’t Christmas about GIVING?  (That’s why commercialism – with Santa Claus serving as its mascot manifestation – is the greatest threat to the true meaning of Christmas.  Commercialism encourages the expectation of receiving and materialism.)

If everyone’s heart for joining “exchange gifts” is for having the chance to GIVE somebody an awesome gift, then it shall be a very special activity.  There will be good cheer all around.  Bonds and goodwill between participants are strengthened.  Christmas love shall abound.    

If we receive an awesome gift, then good!  But even if we only receive a picture frame or a gift valued lower than the agreed price standard, our cheer should remain intact since our main purpose and joy was preparing a great gift that would put the recipient in high spirits.  Receiving an awesome gift in return is just a bonus.  

I feel terrible whenever this happens:

Someone poor or currently struggling financially, for the sake of Christmas good cheer, decides to join the “exchange gift”.  He or she prepares something less than or just exactly the set gift value.  This could even be one of the frowned-upon gifts of picture frames and mugs – because they’re the only things he or she can afford.  After the gifts are exchanged, the recipient of this poor participant’s gift opens it, and then after seeing the contents, he or she openly – consciously or not – shows his or her displeasure through words or facial expression.  The poor participant, witnessing this, gets humiliated and heartbroken. 

And my heart breaks with them. 

Of course, I would prefer to receive a great gift on “exchange gifts”.  I even loudly state oftentimes – jokingly, of course – that I don’t want to receive a picture frame.  But if the fun and goodwill of it will be ruined because of participants who care more of what they get, I would choose to be the one who receive those inexpensive but sincere gifts from the poor, struggling participants.  I really don’t mind at all what I would get in return – if any at all.  You see, I could be selfish the rest of the year, but when it comes to Christmas – my favorite time of the year – I know how to celebrate it and have the heart for it.     

Read More

X-mas Stories

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I love the atmosphere of it, and I’m not talking of the weather and the temperature. It seems you can feel everything is different when it’s Christmas. I simply like everything about Christmas. The holiday. The merrymaking. The gift giving (kids like me can’t wait for the mullah… and those younger for the toys). The jubilance. The carols and songs. The religious significance (some kept on pointing out that Christmas is not really the date of Christ’s birth, and that it has paganism in it… sure, I know of the pagan symbols and connotations in Christmas… but the best argument is, let the pagans use the holiday and symbols for their purpose, but let the Christians use Christmas for God’s glory and for goodness, and it does not matter if December 25 is not the exact date of Christ’s birth; we are celebrating the birth of Christ anyway and not the date! The date is insignificant, the birth and the meaning of it are the things important.)
And, of course, I love Christmas stories.

Yes. The Christmas stories. There are a lot of them. From literature and traditions to TV specials and movies.

TV series and cartoons have Christmas specials when it is the holiday season – and those episodes are classics. Like the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Christmas special where all the Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters are together; and the Archie’s Weird Mysteries episode of the Christmas Phantom, who was actually Santa Claus himself, granting Archie’s wish for Christmas. I like to watch such Christmas specials, especially marathons, on TV. They are among the most entertaining shows ever. You get to see episodes that are very different from regular episodes. One example is the Christmas episode of Mr. Bean (the live version, not the cartoons); it was one of the best in the series.

During Christmas season, Christmas cartoons are aired on TV. I found three channels that did this effectively in my childhood. One was HBO, (not only did HBO rock when it comes to cartoons like Spawn and Sin City, but also of its Christmas toons) with cartoons like “Rudolph’s Shining Christmas”, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”, and “Frosty the Snowman”. In the local networks, GMA did okay. I enjoyed their airing of several Christmas cartoons every afternoon, and of the cartoon series “Claus”, a cartoon series of a boy Santa Claus. Disney Channel is the third; not only did they air Christmas episodes of their regular set of TV series, but also other Christmas specials and movies.

And how about the movies? Christmas movies had pretty good stories, too. The Home Alone series were all set during the Christmas season, and it showed great Christmas principles as well as the best hilarious (and painful) pranks and booby traps a little boy can do. The Santa Claus movies of Tim Allen were okay, too. And Christmas specials does not only happen to TV shows, but also to movie franchises like “Richie Rich”, “Beauty and the Beast”, and “All Dogs Go to Heaven”; all of them have Christmas movies.

Though, yes, Christmas stories are more effective on TV or movies, let us not forget that it is also present in literature. Since Dickens’ classic “The Christmas Carol”, to Agatha Christie’s “Holiday for Murder”, Christmas has been used an effective theme of a story, or a background even if it is not the main theme. Christmas stories are also in comic books and cartoon strips. “Mickey Mouse and Friends”, “Calvin & Hobbes”, “Peanuts”, “Archie and Friends” and, especially, “B.C.”, are among the many that had created great stories by using Christmas as theme or tool… we find Uncle Scrooge McDuck, unbeknownst to him, treating the entire Duck clan for Christmas; Calvin’s father sacrificing his work so that he can spend time with his son to make a snowman (very Christmas spirit); Charlie Brown’s sister Sally mistaking “reindeer” for “rain gear”, as one of Santa’s trademarks; Archie collecting rare photos of things that can only happen in Christmas, missing a genuine shot of Santa Claus, but getting a shot of Jughead kissing Ethel, a thing that can only happen once in a lifetime; and B.C. and friends, with stories about the true meaning of Christmas, authored by the B.C.’s Christian cartoonist, Johnny Hart… the list goes on a long way of classic stories like these. Even superhero comics and mangas (even anime series have great Christmas episodes), like Yu Yu Hakushu, have great Christmas issues when it is the season.

“Christmas” should be an established genre in fiction. Good is present in the story if Christmas is used – even if it used just as a setting, a tool or a background. Great conflicts, plots and entertainment arise from a story with Christmas in it. Not only are Christmas stories entertaining, but also heartwarming and full of lessons to be learned. Christmas stories create fascinating characters like “Ebenezer Scrooge” to “The Grinch”. In regular continuity of stories, Christmas episodes or issues stray from the regular flow of the story sometimes, but it becomes a classic nonetheless. Like when Yusuke helped a stray spirit, and when psycho vigilante Batman shows compassion and emotion. And it creates unexpected but refreshing twists like in the “Archie’s Weird Mysteries” Christmas episode.
Yes, Christmas stories are certainly among the best stories in the world.

* * *

Christmas stories are special, entertaining and good. But maybe it is so because of the meaning – the true meaning – of Christmas, and the true story behind it all. Though there are a lot of good Christmas stories around, we should not forget the number one Christmas story ever. A true story of the Savior who was born in a manger a long time ago. The world has never been the same since then.

Merry Christmas, everybody.

Read More