42 Days

It is 42 days until Christmas.  

Last week, I was standing at Ikea, admiring their Swedish, Christmas decor, which served to bring back a flood of fond memories.  As I am ecstatically wrapped up in my Christmas moment, I hear a Thai mother and son, standing beside me, looking at the same scene.  They are looking at it  and are excitedly talking about New Year, not Christmas.  Huh!!??  That is because, in Thailand, all the Christmas scenes, decorations and songs are for them, directed towards their New Year celebration.  

That is how it is for them.  Thailand is a Buddhist country.  So Christmas has no meaning here, while they love the time.  What the Thais have done is simply to assimilate what they so love, our Christmas, into their New Year, which is their big, family celebration of the year.  

Why did they do this?  Simple!  They love fun, and who doesn't?  Christmastime is full of fun, with its wonderful scenes and decorations, the Christmas trees, the silly songs, the colour and all the rest.  They love all that goes with Christmas and they put it into practice so well, despite not comprehending the context, the Jesus story, the meaning.  While Christmas Day may be just another working day here, the Thais just so enjoy Christmas in its outward manifestations, which they have skilfully included in their own big celebration of the year.  Of course, the timing is also great as New Year's Day happens a week later.  

Looking at this local, social phenomenon, one could say that we Christians do something right, or we have a great gift that the world appreciates, joy!  And there is just not enough joy in our world.  It is so badly needed.  The Thais just take on the whole "Christmas World" and place it within their own mindset and culture, putting it to good use.  Good on them!  That is how I see it and I think it is quite smart of them. .  

For now, let us not complicate matters, by getting into the issue of commercialisation of Christmas, which is an abuse of my favourite time of the year.  Let's keep it simple.  No matter what, Christmas is Christmas.  That is it!  Others can make of it what they want.  That others take it on and find happiness in it, that is great, a real gift to this crazy world.  Christmas is special, a time to come together, a time to think of the other, a time for a bit of joy.  Let's have Christmas all year round.  .