Covid tried to steal Christmas this year, but much like the Grinch, it did not succeed. The Christmas spirit prevailed as we managed to spend time with friends and family in unconventional ways via outdoor visits, Zoom and Video Chat.
Most 2020 Christmas gatherings more closely resembled the Christmas scene from Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women,” made up of small, intimate gatherings, and the simple rituals of decorating, singing and eating. In addition, this Christmas season, there has been more regard for the preciousness and transience of life, as we pray for the world to surpass Covid and the tragic loss of life it has brought upon us.
True, there were less Christmas parties, grab bag swaps, religious services, holiday concerts and pageants, but it could be argued that Christmas was an extra blessing this year. Most Christmases become a consumer shopping frenzy, centered around the types and amount of presents we receive. This year, most people found happiness in one another’s company
Perhaps a 2020 Christmas has struck a cord in our hearts closer to the spirit of the first Christmas, where a birth to a poor outcast couple provided people from all walks of life (kings, paupers, field-hands and migrants) with the hope of building a worldview and body politic on the radical notion of “love first.”
May we remember what we have learned from a 2020 Christmas for years to come. Happy New Year to all.
