We join millions of Christians the world over to celebrate this year’s Christmas. It is an annual Christian festival, which commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. It is also a celebration of peace and love for all humanity. It is good that nothing has reduced the religious significance of the event as the good news has animated humanity for centuries and brought so much joy to billions of Christians every year as they re-create the spirit of Christmas.
Christmas is the most practical demonstration of the love of God for humanity. By sending us a Saviour, He held out hope for all who believe to be able to earn their individual salvation. The birth of Jesus in a humble environment exemplified the humility and the divine attributes of Our Lord. He became, therefore, the greatest gift to humanity reminding us of our potentialities, our endless opportunities to renew our relationship with God based on God’s promise of forgiveness of our sins.
Thus in this season of wonder, excitement, celebration and merriment, we urge Nigerian Christians to continuously, even in the midst of all the enjoyment, bear in mind the significance of the event and what the birth of Christ symbolises. We counsel moderation in all things, including the merriments of Christmas. The risk of over-indulgence tends to be elevated during this season. It is one of the reasons many municipalities offer free cab rides for drivers on Christmas Eve in the United States to reduce the risk of drunk-driving and the tragedies that come with it.
Christmas has created a unique universal culture that transcends land, clime, and faith. This is the season of universal goodwill, a time for forgiveness, a time to make amends, a time to straighten out personal lives, a time for renewal, a time to make peace with neighbours, and a time for a new beginning.
All over the world, from Beijing to New Delhi, from Dubai to New York, the whole world is uniformly electrified by this yearly festival. The customary Christmas buntings and decorations, every year, get more graphic and remarkable. The holiday season all over the world tends to be centred on Christmas.
In Nigeria, the inevitable exodus, especially to the South-East and South-South regions, and other parts of the country create opportunities for exploitation of travellers in a nation with limited transportation options. Now, the season is utilised as a time for family reunions, general meeting of town unions, the best period for cultural festivals and renaissance. While bus fares are on the rise, the supply of petrol has been even. It is our hope that during the Yuletide season and after, the atmosphere of calm and sanity on our highways would continue into the New Year.
Christmas is a season of giving. We urge all Christians to remember the needy, the elderly and the less privileged during the Christmas season. It is thus a time to contribute toward the improvement of the lives of people around us in various ways. We appeal to corporate organisations to show greater generosity to their workers, and increase their charitable giving so as to ameliorate the usual difficulties that come to workers in the New Year, likewise the Federal and our various state governments. They should also use this occasion to remember the down-trodden, the men and women who are unable to help themselves through incapacitation or disabilities.
This is the season of goodwill to all men, a time for forgiveness and a time to reconcile with our neighbours and renew troubled relations. It is, therefore, a time when national reconciliation should be uppermost in the minds of Nigerians, a time to demonstrate unity and patriotism. This is a time to remind our public officials of their responsibilities to the Nigerian public, to eschew corruption and nepotism, incompetence and inertia. This is a time leaders should seek forgiveness and make amends and demonstrate re-dedication to service, and prudence in the management of public funds.
It is time to re-kindle in our hearts the spirit of Christmas. We wish the Christian faithful, Nigerians and our readers a Happy Christmas.