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 !
