Every Christmas I count my blessings, and the one at the
top of my list is my ability to celebrate Christmas with all
the faith and joy that come from this holiday. We are privileged
to live in a country where we have freedom of religion and
Muslim, Hindu and Christian holidays are recognised on a national
level.
I consider myself lucky to be able to express my religious
beliefs anywhere in this country without fear of some individual,
special interest group or government agency trying to prevent
my freedom of religious expression.
Unless you follow the bitter battles over crèche scenes
and references to Christ and Christmas that crop up among
Americans from time to time, you cannot imagine what a special
freedom we enjoy in this country. While it is inconceivable
that anyone would want to wage a petty war over religious
expression, it does happen. I take comfort in knowing that
no one could ever get away with that here in Trinidad.
Those who try to stifle religious expression during holidays
deny people a vital form of expression and prevent the celebration
of a common sense of spirituality. They undermine the foundation
for morality and the basic understanding of other people’s
culture.
Living in Trinidad has taught me the value of religious tolerance.
In many ways religion is what brings various ethnicities together.
Religion has proved to be a great equaliser and a foil for
those politicians who play the shameful neo-colonial game
of divide and rule.
Petty politics may strive to drive a political wedge between
ethnic groups, but the proof of its failure lies in the holiday
celebrations that all religions share. Just look in any home
on Divali and you will see there are just as many—if
not more—non-Hindus sharing in those special Divali meals
served in Hindu homes. Everyone looks forward to Divali, regardless
of religion.
I’ve never been to anyone’s home for Eid, but I’m
sure the hospitality is equal. I’m sorry I can’t
say more about Eid, but I have faith that this holiday equals
all others in terms of sharing grace and hospitality.
And who looks at religion when Christians dole out presents
to their friends and colleagues or give boxes of Christmas
cookies and black cake? Come Christmas Day and Boxing Day,
you would be hard-pressed to find only Christians sharing
in the ham or turkey.
This is not a perfect place, but it certainly is an extraordinary
place when it comes to religious expression. The foundation
of Christmas has managed to survive in spite of the increasing
commercialisation of Christmas. I must admit that Christmas
comes up short when compared to other religious holidays that
do not emphasise the excessive gift-giving.
That is not to say that giving gifts is bad. Christmas does
have a tradition of gift-giving. The three wise men brought
gifts to baby Jesus for Christmas. Still, it is important
to keep the underlying meaning of Christmas—the birth
of Christ—in perspective.
Something is wrong when people get caught up in Christmas
buying to the point that they feel giving gifts is nothing
but pressure. Something is wrong when people feel the pleasure
of gift-giving only to feel the depression of paying for those
gifts after Christmas.
I know because I have fought those battles. I always wondered
why my children would express so much gratitude when I gave
them a special gift during the year, but at Christmas, when
they got 15 gifts, they would open all with glee and then
sit there and ask, “Is that all?”
After a while I realised that by the end of January, they
couldn’t even recall what they had received for Christmas.
The same, I feared, held true for everyone else I bought Christmas
gifts for. Then I started a tradition of buying one special
gift—something extraordinary—for Christmas that
would be remembered the whole year. My daughter got a vanity
with a mirror one year; my son got a stereo.
I stopped buying gifts for everyone and bought one special
gift for one person in my life besides my children. I didn’t
search for the gift. The gift would have to find me. It would
have to stand out as something special that would take the
breath out of the receiver.
This year my son brought home a dear little pit-bull puppy
that I could not keep without spending $20,000 to fix my yard.
I gave my son the $700 he paid for the puppy and gave him
to a very special boy who I know will cherish him. Every day
for the next year I will be able to think about their special
bond.
My daughter and I are making sugar cookies and rum balls for
gifts. My son will get the Godfather DVDs he has wanted for
years and my daughter will get a ticket to a New Year’s
party. That is my Christmas—a few special gifts that
I can remember giving and feel good about for the whole year.
I refuse to spend my Christmas thinking about all the things
I bought or could have bought or didn’t buy. I just want
to cherish the thought of this day and the freedom I have
to worship it as I please. That is a feeling no one can buy
and no one can take away from me.
Merry Christmas to everyone. May you take this special day
and remember what it is to have the freedom to worship as
you please.
