A merry Covid Christmas?
by Michel Nazir Ali, The Article:
Hurrah! Christmas isn’t cancelled after all or is it only half cancelled or is it so deeply rooted in our minds and hearts, in family life and in the national psyche that it cannot be cancelled? The Government’s plans to lift restrictions on family gatherings, and some other kinds of socialising, for the few days around Christmas Day itself will be welcomed with a huge sigh of relief by a people battered by the lockdowns and other restraints on their usual activities. It has the danger, however, of creating a frenzy of travel and of meeting permitted relatives over a few precious days.
In fact, it is the whole season that is important in the run up to Christmas Day. This is not just for shopping, although the removal of restrictions on retail trade will be welcomed by both shoppers and shops. During Advent there are concerts, exhibitions and carol services galore. We should not forget that we are not only inherently social beings but also cultural and spiritual creatures. We crave socialising but we also need our minds, imaginations and spirits to be fed and never more so than at this time
There has been much talk in the media about Christmas as if it were just a mid-winter festival of feasting and carousing. The arrival of Christianity in Europe, however, gave a new direction to these festivals. While customs, like the burning of Yule logs, the decoration of trees, the drinking from wassail bowls and the eating of ‘figgy’ puddings continued, Christianity introduced going to church, the importance of family gatherings and celebrations and, like Good King Wenceslas, remembering the poor and needy at this time.
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