I penned the following article on Christmas celebration and have sent it to our local newspaper (North Renfrew Times) for publication – on 12 December 2019 . They may or may not publish. It is their xprerogative . However, as per every year , I will circulate and send by e-mail the article to my family members, friends , colleagues , contacts and social groups I am associated with.

12 December 2019

Family Christmas Celebration

Come November, cold season starts and mood changes for Christmas holidays.

One by one houses get lit by outside lights and strings of lights add festive mood to the populace. There is magic in the air.

At night the whole street becomes heavenly – sometimes with snow on the ground.

The Christmas holidays are secularized with decorated Christmas tree, artful display of lights and Santa Clause doing his Ho! Ho! Ho! Even those of us who are not Christians by faith are also celebrating Christmas with gusto. Christmas is celebrated around the world in many countries with or without large Christian population.

Kids are looking forward to have Santa Clause bring gifts for them and their friends – there would be laughter with caring and sharing. One need not be a Christian in partaking in the festivities. There is the underlying message of love, sacrifice and being compassionate for all when we celebrate the birth of Lord Jesus. These values are the foundation of caring and sharing society for peaceful and progressive existence.

For us, the family start xpreparing for visits and family get together. My son’s family phoned from Toronto early in November that they will be coming over to Deep River during Christmas. This is our family holiday tradition since many years. My daughter& family are nearby – thus we have a very nice get together. All grandchildren – 3 from Toronto and 2 nearby – have wonderful time. They are so loving and playful with each other – making grandparents very ecstatic.

The children love to see each other and spend the day playing games and sharing their new gifts and toys that Santa Claus brought for each of them.

We feel fortunate to have our family together during Christmas holidays.
Every year, we are fortunate to attend a Christmas Party at Ken and Leela Philipose”™home here in Deep River. This has become a cherished annual family holiday tradition within the local East Indian Community. Ken & Leela have been hosting this celebration of Christmas since long – since many years as I remember – more or less from the year we settled in Deep River in 1986.

Their Christmas Party is open to people of all faiths. The guests attend with gusto and excitement and join the hosts in carol singing, enjoying snacks and drinks and warmth of each other”™s company. There is much laughter and merriment during the Party.

I understand that both Ken and Leela are Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, who trace their origins to the evangelistic activity of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century. According to history, Saint Thomas, one of the disciples of Christ, came the South Indian Kerala coast in in the 1st century. Kerala is known for their paddy fields, coconut trees, rivers, backwaters and houseboats. People of Kerala have a literacy rate, the highest in India.

As Deep Riverites for many years both Ken and Leela are socially active and have philanthropic hearts. Recently they contributed a large sum ($19,000.00) to our Hospital Foundation towards capital equipment purchase.

The main focus of Christmas celebration is the birth of Lord Jesus or Christ. We know that historically Jesus existed and the baby was born to change the world. The basic teaching of Christ is to love your Lord, your God with all thy strength, love your neighbor as thyself and be a peacemaker and pray for your enemies. He also teaches, what you do for the poorest of the poor, you have done for me.
I am not a Christian by faith and I do worship the Almighty under Hindu tradition – which encourages all to be a spiritual person and believe in a higher power. I pray that Christmas 2019 is observed by us keeping in mind the sacrifice and the most illuminating message of Hope that Lord Jesus has brought to the human kind. This will keep us from despair and encourage us for helping actions.

Let yearly Christmas celebration become a pointer to peace and a reminder that there is more to life than fights and arrogation of power and wealth. When we meet our family and friends (during Christmas holidays) let us seek forgiveness for any misdeeds done to them by us and forgive them for any perceived or real misdeeds done by them to us. This will be a gift par excellence!

Pass it on and see the magic!

My wife Jackie and I wish you all a very uplifting Christmas and a Happy New Year. Happy Holidays to all.