The birth of Jesus holds myriad promises and has many meanings.
Can you describe a time when you discovered for yourself the message of Christmas?
For me, Christmas is about celebrating Christ with family.
The first time I spent Christmas away from my family I was on a holiday in Alice Springs. We went to the pub for Christmas dinner. When we got there we found the dining room set up with one long table. Anyone who came to eat, sat together and shared the meal together. There were about 10-15 people there that we didn’t know. By the time we finished we’d made many new friends.
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I always knew that at Christmas, we celebrated the birth of Jesus. He came to bring a message to all of us,
to get along and respect our beliefs and to care for us all. Jesus was our saviour.
We looked up to him for guidance.
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I discovered the deeper message of Christmas when I noticed how my family gathered, sharing foods, laughter gifts and prayers. It felt like the love we celebrated was the same love Jesus brought into the world.
Christmas became a reminder of meaningful connection of belonging. Christmas is the most joyful time of the year.
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I was at one of our wonderful St. Bernard’s outdoor masses with a crowd of grandparents,
parents and children so excited and the Clairvaux students were acting out the amazing story
of Jesus’ birth. The message was to cherish children and family and community with joy, peace and hope.
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As a young child the first reminder that Christmas was coming was the crib in my local church. The bible stories told at my Catholic school taught me that Jesus was the Son of God who was sent to redeem us and open the gates of heaven for all.
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I first discovered Christmas when I was taught at a Catholic school that Jesus Christ was born on Christmas day, and isn’t about Santa Claus giving presents to billions of people and filling up Christmas stockings with lollies or chocolate. It’s about celebrating our God’s birthday and connecting with our friends and family.
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When I was a child, having three generations of our family come together under the one roof on Christmas Day to share food, stories, presents and, of course, to play backyard cricket together. The excitement was always palpable.
Now that some of these family members have passed away, they are memories that I will cherish forever.
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Seeing homeless people and children in need during festive seasons moves me deeply. I long to help, though I sometimes question if donations truly reaches them. For me, Christmas means love in action – small acts of kindness and presence that bring hope and joy.
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When you have lost a loved one, like a family member like my dad and your family is aware their presence is missing.
The arrival of a new member of the family – a baby.
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As a young child, the rich atmosphere of baby Jesus born in a stable carried with it a mystic enchantment,
together with the excitement of Santa Claus and presents, family celebrations and traditions which
emphasised the season’s importance. The excitement remains with me in living the presence of Christ here today.
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I remember participating in a nativity play that my late mother planned and produced one year when I was in my mid-twenties. She poured her heart into it, sewing every costume from scratch, carefully selecting hymns that told the story of the first Christmas and directing the choir with the grace and authority she was known for as the cathedral’s choir director at the time. I was deeply involved in the extraordinary announcement to Mary that she would bear a child – a child who would bring peace to the world. I can still recall singing part of the Ave Maria, filled with emotion. That Christmas remains one of the most meaningful I have every experienced. Being part of the play allowed me to feel, in a vivid and heartfelt way, the true essence of Christmas and what it means to me.
