All right, who else has noticed that Christmas is slowly fading away in Ghana? Oh? That means, I am not the only one who has noticed it.
What do you think is making Christmas fade away? Is it the economy, which everything is too expensive that people cannot afford to celebrate? Is it too much interest in politics and the media talking about it too much, they forget to discuss Christmas? Is it because of too much focus on technology that we tend to forget to spend time with family and spread Christmas cheer with friends?
What is the reason for the season? The birth of the Messiah, who came to clean the sins of everyone, without any boundary.
Modern day commercialism too, has stripped the holiday season of its true meaning and left the Christmas celebration, in particular, bare.
In order to bring the true reason and celebration of the season, religious leaders say people need to recall the joy of Christmases past, when Christmas was really Christmas because of the celebration of life, and family, not Christmas trees, shopping sprees and feasts.
Bishop H. Harford Brookins, a former president of the general board of the African Methodist Episcopal Church I the USA once said, “What made Christmas was the togetherness of folks. They came, fellowshipped and gathered around each other, and therefore, drew closer together and tied themselves to the birth of Jesus Christ”
Now it is no longer a matter of going home for Christmas. It is about having a party at a club in town. We have grown into our own separateness.
Former president of the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc. Dr. Henry J. Lyons, once told Ebony, “On Christmas day, seize the family dinner as a time to renew your commitment to each other to prayer and to facing life’s problems together as a family.”
Below are ways we can celebrate Christmas with our families:
Open the Bible to Luke 2 and tell the Christmas story
Remember the needy. Families can volunteer to do charity work in their own small way. Service to God is service to man.
Spend time together. Please let your devices (the phones, tablets, video games) disappear for a moment. You can watch a favourite Christmas movie or a TV special together.
Create family traditions
Have a family Christmas dinner/supper together
Attend a festive event together as a family.
Anyone, who wants to share what you do together as a family during Christmas?
