No room on cards for the Baby Jesus

TWO millennia ago there was no room for baby Jesus at the inn. Now, it seems, there is no room for Him on his birthday cards either.

Just one in four Christmas cards sold by leading Irish charities features a traditional Nativity theme, a sample study by the Irish Mail on Sunday has revealed.

Cards have become noticeably irreverent, and in some cases overtly rude. And it seems even in charity cards, the Christian message of Christmas is being lost.

Fr Brendan Hoban, a representative for the Association of Catholic Priests in Ireland, said they have noticed a decline in cards bearing the traditional Nativity story.

‘It is a reflection on how Irish society is changing. It’s tied into how expensive Christmas cards are: the cheap ones are produced with very little effort and usually feature Santa or reindeer,’ he said.

Our sample survey of designs offered by Barnardos, Trócaire and Temple Street Children’s Hospital, among others, has revealed only 18 out of 79 cards – or 23% – used a traditional nativity scene.

None of the six Barnardos designs on sale have a nativity scene but include Santa and a snowman.

In contrast, Trócaire’s offerings for 2017 all feature scenes depicting the Nativity, with one showing the visit of The Wise Men. A third of cards from the Irish Cancer Society, and a quarter of those from Concern, are nativity themed. Only two out of 21 cards for sale from Amnesty International Ireland feature the story of Jesus’s birth.

Meanwhile, a petition to have the crib reinstated in Beaumont Hospital is gathering signatures. Its removal was revealed by our sister paper the Irish Daily Mail. Fr Hoban said it ‘shows Christ’s message has been lost. Christmas is now a commercial feast and has lost its religious sense’.

Father Joe McDonald, Parish Priest at St Matthew’s in Ballymun, said: ‘The removal of the crib is indicative of the fact we are chipping away at the principles of tolerance and respect. That is sad. I’m glad to hear about the petition.’