Wednesday, December 25, 2013

The Magic of December

The magical month of December is always  marked by seasonal festivities and the much-awaited holidays!

It all began two thousand years ago on a mysterious night, when a ‘king’ was born in a cattle shed!  It was a night like no other, and the world began to celebrate the difference!

 All through my early years, the first spark of the season was lit at school. The dreaded term exams would be done away with and every child would wait with bated breath for December.

 Soon carol books would be whisked out and full- throated ‘Joy to the World’ would rent the air following which the season would be officially declared as ‘arrived’!   

At home, the baking and making would begin in full gusto. Every neighbor would be greeted by an aroma that hinted at hidden pleasures and every guest would be  offered a slice of ‘baked heaven’ that was forbidden to inmates of the house until the D-day !

Some day before X’mas, a carol party would sneak in during the wee hours and, with much ado and fanfare, announce the Savior’s birth to the bleary-eyed! 

Apparently, all that cheery singing required a great deal of energy and the choir was watered and fed  wherever they went. Robust singing always cheered me, yet I have often wondered why people were woken in the dead of night only to be told about something that they already knew!

Winter wonderland and the jolly Santa were confined to the cards that came my way yet, there was magic and a warm fairy tale glow to all things around at that time of the year!

Altruism knows no season or reason but, during December the act of giving gathers unprecedented momentum !  When impelled by greed, generosity snowballs into shameless indulgence. Through ‘buy- or- die’ sloganeering, the month of December has become a platform for strategized marketing and out-sized consumerism.

 Over the years the season has lost its sheen, and December its magic! There now exists a need to revive the old spark and to celebrate wisely.

Here's hoping that the magic of December keeps the child in each of us alive and that it continues to spread cheer all through the year !