Chapter 17: Holy Days and Christmas Holidays

Christmas comes but once a year, with its harvest of goodwill, Church nativity liturgies, charity donations, family and community celebrations, Christmas shopping, and journalistic ruminations about the meaning of it all. In Australia, the land Down Under blessed with unusual inhabitants like the wallaby, that are not mentioned in the Bible, naturally we reshape some Christmas customs and foods to suit our environment.

Since Jesus was born, the way Christians and others speak about his birthday feast, and the twelve days before Epiphany (the visit of the Three Magi to the Christ Child), has been vastly extended to include popular legends, characters and customs, such as Santa, elves, reindeer, decorated Christmas trees, holly, carolling and Advent calendars, and "religion-neutral" terms such as "season's greetings", "summer ( or winter ) vacation", and "Xmas". But however we choose to speak of, or write about Christmas, everyone within cooee of Christmas, even the most determined Scrooge, is somehow caught up in an infectious spirit of playful Christmas bonhomie. For instance, today I heard of a gentleman who, although he boasts to everyone that he does not "do" Christmas, generously treated his neighbour to a magnificent Christmas ham. And at St John's Anglican Church in Launceston, Tasmania (my current family holiday location ), the thoughtfully arranged children's playrooms, and the colorful baskets of hand knitted rugs placed handily near the pews, are also witnesses to the same Christmas spirit.

Besides the Day at the Beach (or Park) for those not exiled to the outback, two memorable Australian popular Christmas customs are the annual Christmas pageant, and the healthily irreverent Christmas pantomime. Both involve rampant imaginary (as well as traditional) characters, and a hilarious running commentary on the events of the past year, always seen through a prism of Christmas goodwill and merriment. In Australia, these annual events (and other regular celebrations) used to loom large in childish imaginations, leaving little room for boredom or mischief, as we were busily occupied with progressive preparation and excited anticipation. The Christmas pageant and pantomime were (and in many Australian towns still are) an Australian version of the old English Church mystery plays and pageants, where comedy, fun and rustic merriment (often at the Church's expense) ruled the roost.

Christmas 2013 has brought us an increased mindfulness of human sadness and suffering, together with a determination to do what we can to oppose and reverse ill-will, and help those in trouble. This Christmas intention for good takes many forms, none of which should be rejected. May our popular and church festivities mirror this determination, reduce human greed to insignificance, and magnify God's glory as best we may in the coming year.