September Christmas

Foreigners who come beginning September are jolted by the Christmas music played everywhere. We are the only nation with Christmas songs for 4 months; until January 6 questions often asked are 1) Do we not get tired listening to Christmas songs for 126 days? 2) Does it lessen the importance of the birth of Jesus Christ?

We must understand the difference between two ideas: 1) Christmas which is wordly, secular, consumer-business oriented, 2) Christian Christmas which focuses on religiosity. Consumer earthly Christmas deals with profits. The theory is that the earlier you brainwash the people to start buying Christmas items, you are way ahead of your competitors.

This leads to the creation of Christmas songs which are often remotely connected to the story of the nativity. Examples: 1) Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, 2) All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth, 3) I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause, 4) Here Comes Santa, 5) Santa Claus is Coming to Town, 6) Mamacita donde esta Santa Claus, 7) White Christmas, 8) Blue Christmas, 9) I’ll be home for Christmas, 10) Jingle Bells, 11) Silver bells, ad nauseam.

We also have carols sung by church choirs like: 1) Adeste Fideles, 2) Cantique de Noel, 3) Silent Night, English traditional like Good King Wenceslas, God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen, Deck the Halls (with Boughs of Holly), The 12 days of Christmas and excerpts from works of great composers like Joy to the World by Handel and Hark! The Herald Angel Sing by Mendelssohn. We only allow Christmas songs which have been part of our church traditions like Silent Night, Joy to the World, Hark the Herald, Adeste Fidelis, Cantique de Noel during the December 24 midnight mass up to the Three Kings Fiesta.

You cannot hear during the start of the Misa de Gallo on December 16 pop songs like Mamacita donde esta Santa Claus, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Jingle Bells, White Christmas, Give Love on Christmas Day. Computers, cell phones, the internet, malls, advertisements, since September 1 have overwhelmed our eyes, minds, and ears about early Christmas shopping, discounts, and raffles.

Because of this, some forget that Christmas is a 10-day break from our daily routine and to concentrate on the nine-day Misa de Gallo, Midnight mass, Holy Family, Holy Innocents, and Three Kings celebrations. This Christmas break is a time to reawake our weakened, broken, and confused minds. We have been working hard since January that by December we are mentally, physically, morally and spiritually wrecked and tired.

We need a break so we can reorient our hands and minds. Commercial Christmas is not the answer. Spiritual Christmas means to pause a while to give some thoughts to the things we did and did not do or should have done and pray that we will improve. It is re-charging one’s life so one can face the coming year with fresh and strong faith, hope and confidence. If someone tells you that Christ has just been born nearby, you’ll buy all kinds of gifts and rush to the place. Religious Christmas means to bring Christ to orphanages, homes for the aged, hospitals, prisons by way of giving food, used clothes, medicine, gifts, holding programs, games, and group singing. Consumer Christmas deals with our physical and material needs with greed, gluttony, and pride. Christian Christmas means getting closer to God, to our family, and to serve others.