The grinch of Christmas present

In 1957, Dr Seus introduced the Grinch in the children’s book
titled, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” The Grinch was an
ill-tempered, recluse, with a small heart, who tried to steal the
joy of Christmas from the people of Whoville.

He, with the assistance of his dog, Max, steals all the food,
decorations and presents that the Whos had for their Christmas
celebrations. But he finds out on Christmas morning that the joy of
Christmas is in the hearts of those who celebrate it. Despite
having been burgled, the people of Whoville were not bitter,
instead, they sang their joyous Christmas songs. This made the
Grinch appreciate that Christmas was more than presents and
feasting. His heart grew larger, he joined the celebrations, and
the Whos gave him the honour of carving the Roast Beast.

Christmas is usually a time for celebration, but in some parts
of the world, the right of Christians to publicly celebrate and
recognise Christmas has been curtailed either by government or by
civil rights groups fighting to keep church and state separate.

In Cuba, public celebrations of Christmas were banned from 1969
until Pope John Paul II’s pastoral visit to Cuba in 1997. The Pope
asked Fidel Castro to reinstate Christmas as a holiday in Cuba and
his request was granted. Like many other Communist nations, Cuba
declared itself an atheist nation in 1962 and officially removed
Christmas from its list of holidays in 1969 because Fidel Castro
decided that Christmas celebrations were interfering with sugar
harvest. Cubans like other Latin Americans are mostly Catholic and
celebrate Christmas like they celebrate other festivals – Big!
Church, of course; roast pig; partying; exchanging gifts, etc., so,
beyond its interference with the sugar harvests, I imagine that
Castro’s communist principles could not support such extravagance
for any reason.

As a matter of fact, for somewhat similar reasons, in the 17th
Century, England restricted the celebration of Christmas for about
two decades, through legislation under the leadership of Oliver
Cromwell. From the Oliver Cromwell website maintained by the
Cromwell Association, we gather that, although Cromwell did not
personally ban Christmas, as is regularly claimed, his personal
beliefs were in line with many people including the members of
Parliament who clamped down on the celebration of Christmas using
several legislation. Their motivation, it seems, was to remind the
English people about the reason for the season because,
“Increasingly in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth
centuries, many people, especially the more godly, came to frown
upon this celebration of Christmas, for two reasons. Firstly, they
disliked all the waste, extravagance, disorder, sin and immorality
of the Christmas celebrations. Secondly, they saw Christmas (that
is, Christ’s mass) as an unwelcome survival of the Roman Catholic
faith, as a ceremony particularly encouraged by the Catholic church
and by the recusant community in England and Wales, a popish
festival with no biblical justification – nowhere had God called
upon mankind to celebrate Christ’s nativity in this way, they said.
What this group wanted was a much stricter observance of the Lord’s
day (Sundays), but the abolition of the popish and often sinful
celebration of Christmas, as well as of Easter, Whitsun and
assorted other festivals and saints’ days.”
(www.olivercromwell.org).

In America, matters arising from the protection of civil
liberties and questions about the separation of church and state,
and the imposition of one religion over others have made people
think twice about using the phrase “Merry Christmas” to wish people
well during the season; where a Christmas tree can be erected;
where a nativity scene can be displayed; etc.

Remember, this is a country where the Pledge of Allegiance has
come under legal fire many times, especially since 1954 when the
words “under God”, were added (“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of
the United States of America, and to the republic for which it
stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice
for all.”) The matter is serious enough that the State of Texas
enacted a law in the year 2013 to address the Christmas issue.
Known as the “Merry Christmas Law”, the law makes it explicitly
legal to wish someone a Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah (for the
Jewish); to put up a Christmas tree or other Christmas symbols in a
public space as long as there is a secular symbol accompanying it;
to wear red, green or other Christmas colours; and to express their
Christian faith through the celebration of Christmas. The Law
mainly covers the celebration of Christmas and Hanukkah, but, very
importantly, accommodates the rights of people of other religious
faiths to express themselves and celebrate their own holy days.

Although there are no laws in Nigeria that restrict or prescribe
our celebration of Christmas in the manner stated above, the
economic hardship in the country means that some people will not be
able to celebrate and feast as they would wish this year. State and
Federal public servants are being owed salaries, and with the fight
against corruption, the crumbs that fall to the masses are hard to
come by. It is a hard time for many in Nigeria, but even where we
cannot celebrate like we have done in the past, may we each find
the joy of Christmas in our hearts and be thankful for what we
have.

I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

In 1957, Dr Seus introduced the Grinch in the children’s book
titled, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” The Grinch was an
ill-tempered, recluse, with a small heart, who tried to steal the
joy of Christmas from the people of Whoville.

He, with the assistance of his dog, Max, steals all the food,
decorations and presents that the Whos had for their Christmas
celebrations. But he finds out on Christmas morning that the joy of
Christmas is in the hearts of those who celebrate it. Despite
having been burgled, the people of Whoville were not bitter,
instead, they sang their joyous Christmas songs. This made the
Grinch appreciate that Christmas was more than presents and
feasting. His heart grew larger, he joined the celebrations, and
the Whos gave him the honour of carving the Roast Beast.

Christmas is usually a time for celebration, but in some parts
of the world, the right of Christians to publicly celebrate and
recognise Christmas has been curtailed either by government or by
civil rights groups fighting to keep church and state separate.

In Cuba, public celebrations of Christmas were banned from 1969
until Pope John Paul II’s pastoral visit to Cuba in 1997. The Pope
asked Fidel Castro to reinstate Christmas as a holiday in Cuba and
his request was granted. Like many other Communist nations, Cuba
declared itself an atheist nation in 1962 and officially removed
Christmas from its list of holidays in 1969 because Fidel Castro
decided that Christmas celebrations were interfering with sugar
harvest. Cubans like other Latin Americans are mostly Catholic and
celebrate Christmas like they celebrate other festivals – Big!
Church, of course; roast pig; partying; exchanging gifts, etc., so,
beyond its interference with the sugar harvests, I imagine that
Castro’s communist principles could not support such extravagance
for any reason.

As a matter of fact, for somewhat similar reasons, in the 17th
Century, England restricted the celebration of Christmas for about
two decades, through legislation under the leadership of Oliver
Cromwell. From the Oliver Cromwell website maintained by the
Cromwell Association, we gather that, although Cromwell did not
personally ban Christmas, as is regularly claimed, his personal
beliefs were in line with many people including the members of
Parliament who clamped down on the celebration of Christmas using
several legislation. Their motivation, it seems, was to remind the
English people about the reason for the season because,
“Increasingly in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth
centuries, many people, especially the more godly, came to frown
upon this celebration of Christmas, for two reasons. Firstly, they
disliked all the waste, extravagance, disorder, sin and immorality
of the Christmas celebrations. Secondly, they saw Christmas (that
is, Christ’s mass) as an unwelcome survival of the Roman Catholic
faith, as a ceremony particularly encouraged by the Catholic church
and by the recusant community in England and Wales, a popish
festival with no biblical justification – nowhere had God called
upon mankind to celebrate Christ’s nativity in this way, they said.
What this group wanted was a much stricter observance of the Lord’s
day (Sundays), but the abolition of the popish and often sinful
celebration of Christmas, as well as of Easter, Whitsun and
assorted other festivals and saints’ days.”
(www.olivercromwell.org).

In America, matters arising from the protection of civil
liberties and questions about the separation of church and state,
and the imposition of one religion over others have made people
think twice about using the phrase “Merry Christmas” to wish people
well during the season; where a Christmas tree can be erected;
where a nativity scene can be displayed; etc.

Remember, this is a country where the Pledge of Allegiance has
come under legal fire many times, especially since 1954 when the
words “under God”, were added (“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of
the United States of America, and to the republic for which it
stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice
for all.”) The matter is serious enough that the State of Texas
enacted a law in the year 2013 to address the Christmas issue.
Known as the “Merry Christmas Law”, the law makes it explicitly
legal to wish someone a Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah (for the
Jewish); to put up a Christmas tree or other Christmas symbols in a
public space as long as there is a secular symbol accompanying it;
to wear red, green or other Christmas colours; and to express their
Christian faith through the celebration of Christmas. The Law
mainly covers the celebration of Christmas and Hanukkah, but, very
importantly, accommodates the rights of people of other religious
faiths to express themselves and celebrate their own holy days.

Although there are no laws in Nigeria that restrict or prescribe
our celebration of Christmas in the manner stated above, the
economic hardship in the country means that some people will not be
able to celebrate and feast as they would wish this year. State and
Federal public servants are being owed salaries, and with the fight
against corruption, the crumbs that fall to the masses are hard to
come by. It is a hard time for many in Nigeria, but even where we
cannot celebrate like we have done in the past, may we each find
the joy of Christmas in our hearts and be thankful for what we
have.

I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.