Humanity is in a momentous season propelled by dual celebrations. The first segment has to do with our awareness of the year which is crawling to an end and the joy inherent in holidaying for the period. This makes a greater meaning in parts of the world where going on holidays is perceived from an inviolable degree of a pilgrimage. The global North cherishes it indeed and looks forward to it, unlike their counterparts in the Southern axis where economic morass and its heightening mountains makes holiday-making a luxury for the impoverished majority.
The second aspect shares a coincidence with the first, bolstered by religious observance and merriment that accompany Christmas. The universal appeal of today underscores the preeminence of Jesus Christ whose birth symbolically helped to alter the blighted course of mankind in a remarkable way. It’s not for nothing that the annual occasion illuminates the reason for the veneration of this extraordinary being, who besides his phenomenal birthday, also elicits mass adoration of devout Christians on his resurrection after three days of crucifixion.
For centuries, Jesus has been the reason for the season characterized by preparations that pervade the entire place; different decorations in mostly red and white colours; Christmas trees that beckon to all in sheer beauty and effervescence; endless joy of children who relish this period for its sweet gains; movement of people from one place to another in search of fun that could enliven their lives, and the annual shopping which has been too low this year because of economic downturn remotely attributable to the serial poor leaderships but aggravated by the twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and naira flotation by the Tinubu administration.
Indeed, this year’s Christmas will be the worst in the annals of celebrations by Nigerians since independence. The financial lack by a preponderant number of Nigerians and the soaring prices of goods and services as a result of inflation would eventually make it mirthless, fun-less, merry-less, and most probably foodless in the absence of sumptuous meals. The pervasive hunger which is stalking the land has made life harrowing for adults some of whom are constrained to skip meals, while a vast population of infants look a bit more dignified than those pictures of starving children beamed by satellite broadcasts from war-torn countries.
It’s a big pain that most men have been unmanned to the point of not being able to play their role as breadwinners. What’s the worth of a man who had been rendered impotent, economically speaking? The other day I watched twelve men leave a popular supermarket one by one as they were confounded by the price labels on items they wanted to buy. They wore gloomy countenance like persons forced into a funeral procession by circumstances. These days I hardly look at the wine section of the same popular supermarket in Asaba each time I go there. With a particular brandy which I love now selling for N17,000 per bottle, getting it every other day will entail a huge opportunity cost!
It’s not surprising that the past three weeks had largely gone without the traditional Christmas carols being played at many public places. A particular song titled Mary’s Boy Child, which was popularised by the iconic Boney M in the early 1980s, often signposted joy of the season in our childhood years. The rhythmic beats, mellifluous vocals, and harmony so captivated us that some of us fantasized the idea of becoming musicians. That was then. But in a few places where I heard it play lately in Asaba and its environs, it hardly animated the large audience which comprised of men who seemed absentminded while listening to it.
Yes, times are hard, much harder today, and more challenging than last year, but we cannot discountenance the message of Christmas which demonstrates the virtue of selfless giving as an incomparable aspect of the sacrificial life led by Jesus Christ for the sake of man. This is explicit in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gaveth His only son and whosoever believeth in him will have eternal life”. It also finds expression in Apostle Paul’s exhortation to the Collossians to be thankful to God for the gift of Jesus Christ, “in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of our sins”.
Some pertinent questions arise at this juncture: How many among our compatriots can reenact the sacrifice of Jesus Christ? How many of us can volitionally give up little of their material possessions, let alone stake their lives vicariously so that other people may live? How many Christians exemplify this striking Christ-like attribute beyond mere verbal profession of self-righteousness? How many of us can attend to the monetary needs of our neighbours before we go to the church and make huge financial pledges?
The best way to observe the Christmas is to imbibe its major lesson and resolve to lead a life of giving, devoid of any conditionality. It’s incumbent on us to always seek legitimate means to enrich other people’s lives through little sacrifices. Despite the prostrate state of our currency vis-a-vis global currencies, a gift of N1000 to a needy will make a difference in his life. It’s in helping others to live a good life that we find true happiness. Neither frolicking nor overindulgence in the social aspects of the day conveys the significance of Christ’s birth on Christmas Day. Happy Christmas!
*Tony Eke writes from Asaba, Delta State capital.
