2020 and Keeping the Christmas Spirit Alive
- Aleyda Baubert
- Dec 30, 2020
- 4 min read
This year has left nobody indifferent. Who would have thought, on January 1st, that such a nice round number 2020 would bring us a pandemic that would ravage the world and alter so many lives in an instant. Therefore, it has become fashionable to “hate” 2020, to be happy it’s finally over. It is as though we are pouring all our frustrations on 2020, as if the coming of 2021 will magically make our troubles disappear. To the left is a picture that was circulated among a group of friends and it’s the label of a wine bottle that reads in spanish the initials of “F* you, 2020”.
The label may seem like a catchy and funny joke, however I find it a little disturbing. Growing up in Peru, I was not religious but I always had the feeling that if I wasn’t grateful for what I had, God would take things away. Why are angry jokes so successful? I remember from one of my classes at Wharton - maybe marketing - that anger is an emotion that attracts people more than gratefulness or love. Which I guess explains the unfortunate profusion of aggressive headlines in the news and the rise of hate speech.
This was definitely a VERY difficult year. Most of us have experienced loss, and many of us have experienced isolation, financial hardship, sadness and even despair. Too many families continue to be in difficult situations with unemployment and kids unable to go to school. Like many of us, I have cried and prayed and continue to pray for those experiencing difficulties. Yet if you look at some of the graphs that have been shown in the news, COVID numbers compared to other plagues such as cancer, malnutrition and wars, is relatively a small occurrence.
Does that take away our pain? Obviously not. However, I don’t think hating 2020 and being happy it’s finally over helps us recover. It also shows a certain entitlement, similar to the kid who gets angry because he doesn’t receive a toy, as if we are due so many things. We are not due anything and life will always present challenges. Recognizing the emotions is important, as it is not dwelling on them and recognizing that only when we truly put ourselves in the hands of God we are complete. It is when things are difficult that we learn the most. And at some point, when we start thanking God for the good and the bad, life can become magical.
We have learned that life is fragile and precious and that we only have one on earth. Our daily challenge is to be thankful for what we have, instead of being angry for what we don’t have. Is it easy? It’s very hard indeed. Perhaps we can take inspiration from the Virgin Mary, the Holy Mother of God. She was full of Grace, meaning that one of her big virtues was that she lived in a state of gratefulness to God. Was her life easy? Of course not.
I had never heard of the Novena tradition but was curious about it. One of my Colombian friends sent me a link and I did a little bit of research. I found out that it is the action of reflecting on the birth of Jesus based on Sacred Scriptures and actually transporting ourselves to that time, for the nine days before Christmas. We see all kinds of idyllic representations of the Nativity: drawings, paintings, sculptures, retablos. And yes, the birth of Jesus is a wondrous mystery that we can adore. However if we start reflecting on the circumstances of the birth, it was far from idyllic and very hard for Mary for Joseph. Starting with the fact that they had to make the trip to Bethlehem when Mary was very close to giving birth, following with the refusal of the “Inn” to give them a room. As a mother of two who has benefitted from the modern amenities of a maternity ward, I cannot imagine myself giving birth in a stable surrounded by animals.
One of the priests of our beautiful Sts. Peter and Paul Church said one day to me as the kids like to keep a Christmas puzzle all year long on our fridge, something around “Christmas could be celebrated every day”. With that, and given that we are still “officially” in the Christmas season that lasts for 8 days, we can take the opportunity to continue celebrating the gift of Jesus to humanity.
Tired of the many films that talk about Christmas superficially where it is all about Santa and affirm that if “there are no gifts there is no Christmas”, I looked for films that convey the true Christmas story. There are many beautiful Catholic movies out there, and the one we had a wonderful time watching with the kids was “The Star”, from 2017, which has Oprah
Winfrey’s voice amongst others. Here is the link to the trailer on Youtube for those interested. Even my engineer and scientifically-minded husband loved the movie. It is an animation that depicts the story of the birth of Jesus from the point of view of a donkey and other animals.
Yes we can do better than being ungrateful for what we don’t have. Let’s continue celebrating Christmas, thanking God for what we still have, for His love and ask him to continue to guide us through bad and good times.
Thank you dear Lord for we are alive, thank you because we can still love, thank you because we can still give. Please continue to guide us through your path of Love. Amen.
Link to one Novena (in Spanish):
Pictured above our beautiful Peruvian retablo, and below Christmas flowers and a Cup of Tea.
