21 Dec 2007 @ 13:57, by Enocia Joseph
During my bus journey this morning, a lady I usually see in the neighbourhood got on the bus. I smiled and said hello.
"Compliments of the season," she said.
"Same to you," I said.
After a while I said, "Have you done all your Christmas shopping then?"
She frowned.
"Do you celebrate Christmas?" I said.
"I haven't even decided what I'm doing," she said.
"It makes no difference to me, I'll be doing what I always do. I don't see why people have to be nice and friendly just because it's meant to be the season of goodwill," I said.
"Exactly. I see my friends and family when I want to see them. I am nice to people all the time. I give gifts when I want to give them. Sometimes, it's a smile. There are lots of people out there who are feeling lonely and unloved and all they need is someone to smile at them and they feel better. You can do this al the time and not wait for Christmas."
"Yeah, I was chatting to my brother recently about how they have ceasefires during a religious celebration. I hear during the Great War they stopped fighting on Christmas Day."
"I can't remember now whether I saw it on television, read about it or someone told me," my friend said. "Apparently on Christmas Day, the two sides shook hands and exchanged gifts and called it truce for that one day."
"If they can have peace on Christmas Day, why can't they extend it forever?"
"It just shows war is man-made. What are they fighting for anyway. Power? What?"
"Who knows?"
Before my friend and I parted company we wished each other well.
For me, Christmas Day is like any other day. I don't need a religious festival to tell me to be loving and kind to my neighbours. I wake up every day feeling love and gratitude to everyone. Every single day I send out my thoughts of love and gratitude to everyone. So if you want to be nice to me, don't reserve it for just one day just because it's what you've been programmed to do for that particular day, be nice all the time. Otherwise, all I can say is "bah humbug!"
Love and light to everyone every single moment of every single day.
Enocia
NB: For anyone not familiar with the term "Bah Humbug" it originates from Charles Dickens' book "A Christmas Carol." In the book, a character called Ebenezer Scrooge says "bah humbug" to express his disgust against Christmas traditions.
Related articles: Goodwill to All Men; A Day to Remember
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