By: Phyllis Bivins-Hudson
Believe it or not, the Christmas season is upon us already, which means we are swiftly coming to the end of another year.
So, let’s talk about the one day that many of us focus on during the month of December. That day is December 25th.
Globally, there are more than 2 billion people in more than 160 countries who consider Christmas the most important day of their calendar year.
To that point, have you ever thought about the country in which Christmas is celebrated the longest amount of time during the year?
Well, that would be the Philippines. In fact, they creatively refer to this celebration as the “Ber” months because they celebrate for four months—September, October, November, and December.
The reason for such an extensive celebration has to do with commercialization, family unity, a shift of celebrating earlier, and the nation’s faith.
I can only imagine what a wonderful time I would have, celebrating my favorite holiday for four months out of every year.
Let’s look closer at the idea of this kind of celebration, were it to become a part of the American way of celebrating.
It would somehow mean combining the Christmas celebration with some of our existing holidays, including Labor Day and Thanksgiving.
For me, it would also mean in October, celebrating two of my three children’s birthdays, as well as my own, on December 26th.
My family and I would greatly benefit from this because we would be on a constant celebratory journey. And the journey would not even include the months of January through August, when other celebrations would be had.
I think our country could learn from the Philippines. What do you think?
But December has some other highlights to consider. For instance, there is a long list of great movies that have gained notoriety over the years and are generally shown during the Christmas holiday.
While I will not include an exhaustive list of those movies, I will provide two different categories of short lists.
For those who prefer horror movies during the holiday, you might consider any of these:
- Black Christmas (1974)
- Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
- Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
- Gremlins (1994)
- Jack Frost (1997)
- Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)
- A Christmas Horror Story (2015)
- Krampus (2015)
- Holidays (2016)
- Better Watch Out (2016)
- Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)
- Into the Dark: Pooka! (2018)
- Into the Dark: A Nasty Piece of Work (2019)
- Black Christmas (2019)
- The Lodge (2019)
For those who prefer the more delightful, beautiful, or calm movies, here is a list for you too.
- It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
- Scrooge (1970)
- The Wiz (1978)
- Gremlins (1984)
- Home Alone (1990)
- Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
- The Preacher’s Wife (1996)
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
- Friday After Next (2002)
- Bad Santa (2003)
- Last Holiday (2006)
- A Christmas Carol (2009)
- The Best Man Holiday (2013)
- Holiday Rush (2019)
- Christmas Ransom (2022)
If you are up for some family fun this Christmas, consider one or more from the list.
There are also those who don’t celebrate Christmas. For them, here are some ideas to consider if you are interested in what to do with a day that you do not celebrate:
- Treat yourself to something perhaps you have never had before but have always wanted.
- Have dinner with yourself.
- Binge-watch a TV series you don’t have time to watch during the work period.
- Rein in that pile of work that’s been creeping upward in your basket of “Things to Do.”
- Take a short holiday to a place you’ve never visited, even if it’s someplace local.
- Surprise a friend who also doesn’t celebrate the holiday by coming up with a unique idea.
- Engage in a random act of kindness on an unsuspecting person.
- Catch up on some much-needed sleep.
- Read a good book. i.e., Flying on Broken Wings, by Phyllis Bivins-Hudson.
- Call and talk to a person you’ve not spoken to for quite a while.
- Be a special blessing to someone unexpectedly.
For those who like to follow old traditions, create a new spin on the 12 Days of Christmas. There is a biblical reference to this tradition and a lyrical Christmas carol that has been around for years.
In it, the singer brags about all the gifts received from a “true love” during a period of 12 days. These lyrics begin with the first day when the true love gives his/her love a partridge in a pear tree, and by day 12, the true love receives 12 drummers drumming. The song comes from an English composer named Frederic Austin.
But consider creating your own traditional song around the 12 days of Christmas. What 12 gifts would you choose?
What would each gift represent? Who would be your true love? How would you get others to engage with these new lyrics for a new generation?
Christmas is a special time of the year, and I think we are all better for it, whether we celebrate it for its true meaning or just acknowledge it for its great benefits. If we treat it with the notion of bringing goodwill to all, then we can’t lose.
On that note, have a merry Christmas and a prosperous new year.
Until next time, keep flying on your own wings.
P.S.
This year, consider giving the gift of words as a stocking stuffer. Flying on Broken Wings is that perfect gift. An autographed copy can be purchased at www.genceptz.com.