WRITTEN BY PATRICK IKEDIGWE
Tomorrow is Christmas; the day being commemorated as the birthday of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Many Christians do not however, fathom the great essence of Christmas hence; they make elaborate preparations for the celebration. In parts of Anambra, particularly urban centers and of course, Onitsha, which harbours the largest single market in west Africa, many people bought most of the things they do not necessarily need, all in the name of Christmas.
Bags of rice and onions, cows, goats other consumable and wearing apparels, which ordinarily would have been used for the next six months, are bought in one fell swoop, just because of Christmas. Armed robbers, kidnappers and other daredevil miscreant gangs also made their own preparations on how to amass wealth by stealing other peoples’ hard-earned money. The idea behind all these is to live big, ride high class cars and spray money on the flotsam and jetsam of the society in order to arouse fear in the citizenry.
The same goes for the business men and women who made brisk business by duping their fellow countrymen during the Christmas sales. That commercial bus driver, keke or motorcycle operator who arbitrary increases fares, only to leave commuters stranded, are unmindful of the essence of Christmas. Cheating our neighbours in the name of Christmas, or engaging in all kinds of dubious activities, fraud or other unwholesome practices do not augur well for the celebration of the birthday of the man, who came to save mankind.
What about the wicked village man or woman who has laid ambush to poison his or her brothers and sisters coming back home for the Christmas, so that their family would be in a mourning mood? This is not the real Christmas spirit. Also, the essence of Christmas should transcend the reckless and exuberant activities of village masquerades, who dare moving vehicles of the nouveau riche, coming home during the festivity to show off. Christmas definitely should not be associated with burglaries, laying ambush to snatch cars, kill, maim people or even drink more than the bottle or stage burn fires. All these are mere fooleries
Surely, we should not make ourselves an object of derision during the festive period. For instance; it does not do anyone good, to drive recklessly with bravado and then end up in mortuaries. We must endeavour not to turn the period of the celebration of the supposed birth of Christ into mourning in communities whose children have refused to learn. Christmas is not an Olympic Games for racing cars as the wages of reckless driving and over speeding is just death.
When we think of Christmas, we think of the arrival of Jesus. No one who has ever lived in the tide of times has even remotely affected human history the way Jesus Christ had.  He had been opposed, banned, censored and criticized by every generation since His birth. Yet His influence continues unabated. Truly, there has never been anyone like Jesus. He was not just a good man. He was the God-man who came and walked this earth. And that is what we should celebrate every day.
Christmas is a happy time for everyone, particularly for Christians. But, in the midst of all the celebrations, we need to pause, ponder and reflect on why Jesus came. We must use this Christmas to love one another, just as Jesus loved His flock. For, whenever and wherever the hearts of men and women are touched by the love of Christ, there follows a burning concern for the destitute and the disadvantaged, the orphaned and the old, the lonely and the sad. Christ is the reason for the season and we need to remind ourselves of that. Merry Christmas.

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