Same Song Different Tune

 This is often called the most wonderful time of the year.  It is the season to be jolly, to roast chestnuts on an open fire.  The time for thinking of presents and spreading good cheer is here.  It's a time when children pay extra attention to whether they've been naughty or nice.  Christmas time is here!  It's a time to make snowmen and snow angels...at least in the Northern Hemisphere.

North and South agree in principle that this is a season to celebrate joy and life, family, love, and hope.  It is a time to show our love for one another in concrete, tangible gifts.  We have that love all the year round, but for some reason, this is a special time to show it.  We place thought into the presents we make or purchase for our loved ones, because we want them to know they are important to us and how much we truly care about them.

Something's been nagging at me lately, though.  Perhaps it's because I've developed friendships with people in other countries.  And it's an interesting thought, if you stop to consider it.  People all over the globe celebrate Christmas, in both hemispheres, but it's different.  Take Australia for instance.  Christmas there may be spent on the beach with family and friends.  They may be roasting marshmallows in an evening campfire on a hot summer's evening instead of inside a cold winter's house with hot cocoa.  They may be surfing in the water instead of making those snow angels and having snowball fights.  I don't know the exact celebrations one would have with a summer's Christmas, but I know they vary greatly from the scene I always imagine when I consider the once a year celebration of that holy, Silent Night.

The overall message of "Peace on earth and good will toward man" is the same, but because we come from different locations we make different traditions surrounding the holiday.  In like manner, the story behind Christmas is different in the hearts of people because we see it from different points of view.  Those of us who do celebrate the season do so in different ways.  Some celebrate the life of St. Nicholas, who made toys for the poor and needy children, otherwise known as Santa Claus, Sinterklass, or Father Christmas.  Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ, the Savior of the world, the most selfless gift of all, after whom the word Christmas is derived...the birth of the Christ.

Some combine the two, blending the message of unexpected treasures from someone invisible yet ever present.  Behind Christmas is the message that there is someone miraculous, invisible to us who sees us at all times.  Though we can't travel to his domain, he meets us where we are, whether coming down the chimney or just sitting by the fire eating our milk and cookies.  Someone is aware of our thoughts and our actions and will reward us for them.  Perhaps that is one of the great mysteries of Christmas:  it makes us take stock of our actions because it causes us to consider others before ourselves.  It's possibly the closest thing to unity we as humankind share.  That is what is behind the heart of the season.  We give for the sheer joy of giving; we want to have a time where merriment and song is in the air, lifting our hearts with encouragement, and that in and of itself spreads the cheer, the love, and the giving freely of ourselves, regardless of where we come from or where we are.  Regardless of the melody, the message is the same:  Joy to the World!