Christmas is coming!

Whether you have or not whether you give or not, the feeling of good will prevails in “God Bless You!”

Whether you have or not whether you give or not, the feeling of good will prevails in “God Bless You!”

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat Please to put a penny in the old man’s hat. If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’ penny would do If you haven’t got a ha’ penny God Bless You! So goes the perennial Christmastide jingle, anticipating Christmas, meant to be humourous and entertaining, but provoking profound thought in connection with the season- a subtle hint of three aspects of the celebration. The goose getting fat suggestive of the gormandising during the season.

The mouth-watering commercials of goose, turkey, what have you? The cake mixing, all manner of out of this world exotic delights to tickle one’s palate; inducements to lavish, exotic dinners at equally exotic rates with all the accompaniment of merriment. Dancing into the small hours of the morning totally regardless of the fact that the babe for whom this celebration is intended was born in these self-same hours in a cow-shed ,laid on a straw-bed, wrapped in swaddling clothes; when the venue for rejoicing should be the panorama unfolded in the churches at midnight commemorating that humble birth.

The old man politely begging for a penny epitomises the under-privileged, those in abject poverty who would be satisfied with just a mite- a penny or even half a penny- but is it forthcoming? It’s a plea for the neglected half of the world.

We do not know or care how the other half of the community survives. That at the peak of all our enjoyment and revelry we should pause to extend a helping hand to those in need, “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers That you do unto me” The other aspect of Christmas and the most important that is brought out here is the goodwill that the Prince of Peace came to bestow, “if you haven’t got a penny” no matter” God Bless you.” The sharing of good will even though deprived. No hard feelings, no harbouring of grudges reconciliation. Whether you have or not whether you give or not, the feeling of good will prevails in “God Bless You!” May the true spirit of the season of goodwill abide with one and all!