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SILENT OR NOT . . .


The evergreen winter festival we have come to know as “Christmas,” does not conform to the obvious facts related to the religious event around which it was created. Oh, yes, historically, Mary, Joseph and the child can be placed in Bethlehem about the time of the birth in question. It is the surrounding circumstances and the time of their occurrence which, over the millennia, have undergone considerable ecclesiastical and political conversion. Here are some of those alterations:



The birth did not take place in December. It was somewhere around April.


The events occurred several years before our calendar starting point of, “Anno Domini.”


The manger is out because there were no barns and no hay. Animals were kept in the open until brought inside for processing.


The town was crowded with census tourists; their accommodations were not five-star, but sufficient for the purpose.


The night was not silent, if it were indeed “night.” The custom is that the women would be helping Mary, and everyone would be celebrating the advent of new life.


There were not only three “wise men,” but the group consisted of an unknown number of visionary scholars who were following an unusual confluence of spatial bodies that appeared from the earth to be a single light. Apart from being more than a trio, they were not “kings.” (Sorry, Puerto Rico.) They did not arrive until weeks or months after the birth had taken place.


As to shepherds cavorting with winged beings, please consult the New Testament.


Of course, let us enjoy the beautiful carols, along with all the snow and angels and silent nights. However, in order to get a real dose of the emotion behind the Christmas story, settle in and listen from top to bottom the complete musical narrative, from birth to crucifixion, as Handel spells it out in his transfixing oratorio, “The Messiah.”



Incidentally, Santa Claus is real. Nicholas, a wealthy old monk, delighted in giving things to people. After beatification, he remained with us as “Jolly Old St. Nicholas".



Despite the seemingly Scroogian sentiments described above, let us all enjoy the holidays and many “White Christmases” to come!