Christmas lightens our darkness
These late days of December can be bleak, black times. There’s a surplus of darkness and a deficit of light in this part of the world, with the sun creeping above the horizon after 7:45 each morning and slinking away before five o’clock each afternoon.
Autumn’s crimsons and golds drained away long ago, leaving behind a dull, monochromatic landscape of greys and browns.
We might all rather stay in bed until spring — if it weren’t for the lights of Christmas.
Thank goodness for those neighbours who go all out every year, draping icicle lights from their eves, framing doors in flashing red and green bulbs, illuminating entire homes with twirling floodlights.
You saw the early birds stringing their decorations on a balmy October afternoon and you smiled at the laggards who braved the first deep freeze in December, blowing on chilled fingers as they did their handiwork. Bless them all. Front lawns have been invaded by mechanical deer whose heads nod as they silently graze, and by inflatable snow people that sway in the wind and magically disappear each morning after deflating.
Battery-powered candles flicker in windows and curtains are pulled back to reveal Christmas trees gleaming in their full glory.
The lighted balconies of apartment and condo towers brighten city skylines.
The lights of the shopping malls invite shoppers to come buy their Christmas gifts.
The lights of churches streaming through stained glass beckon the faithful to enter.
And out in the countryside on some lonely concession road, barns carry “Merry Christmas” messages and the lights strung on silos reach up into the starry heavens.
Regrettably, some Scrooges declare all this to be a waste of electricity and money.
But if there’s no proof these lights raise the temperature of any human body by a single degree, they warm us in the depths of our hearts.
Darkness is bad for us. SAD — seasonal affective disorder — is a real problem.
American psychologist Deborah Serani says Christmas-decorating spikes dopamine, a hormone that makes us feel happier.
Asked what exactly in those decorations triggers such positive emotions, Serani cites the bright lights and colours.
It doesn’t take a scientist, however, to tell us what we already know: The lights of Christmas burst through the gloom and remind us the winter solstice has arrived. The sun is slowly regaining its strength. Spring will return. Of course, not all the darkness on Earth is so easily dispelled.
Humans have never enjoyed an age of innocence. No era has been free of hardship and strife.
But today’s world seems increasingly shrouded by shadows of anger, fear, intolerance and hatred.
An older order, painstakingly built out of the ruins of the Second World War, is crumbling.
Brexit, Trump, Putin, the rise of China, the isolation of America, the nuclear ambitions of North Korea, the noise from the alt-right, the fools who flirt with fascism, the fanatics who twist religion into a dagger — they’re all part of our brave, new, uncertain 21st century. So, too, is climate change. No wonder people feel unsettled. No wonder they fear the lights of civilization might — just might — go out.
It is this human world of darkness that needs to be brightened by the Christmas message of “peace on Earth and goodwill to all.”
Christmas is, of course, a sacred time for Christians who celebrate the birth of Jesus, the founder of their faith. It is a season when they feel especially called to remember the poor, the sick, the suffering and the lonely.
In their scriptures they read of wise men who followed a light in the sky to find the infant named Jesus. We need other lights to guide us today.
But Christmas in the 21st century is also a secular celebration embraced with gusto by countless people around the world — regardless of faith, ethnicity or politics.
They embrace its festive customs — office Christmas parties, tree decorating, feasting, gift-giving for loved ones and charitable giving for strangers in need.
Whether they say “Merry Christmas,” or “Happy Holidays,” all of them make this world a lighter, brighter place.
In two days it is Christmas. We invite everyone to do their best to light up the day for family, friends, neighbours and even strangers.
Remember others. Be safe in your celebrations, particularly when it comes to not drinking and driving.
And after it’s all over, try keeping the light of the season shining — the peace, love and joy it brings — for not just one day but for the entire year.
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a bright one too.