Today, December 25, is Christmas Day when Christian communities across the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ regarded as their Lord and Saviour. For generations, Christmas has established itself as one festivity that represents a special time of giving as well as caring for others, especially the less privileged. It is a time of sharing and cel ebration that also offers a moment of reflection on the goals set in the year ending.
Christmas transcends across religious lines and marks a start of a holiday season that touches all and sundry much more than any other holiday. Ne w Te s t a m e n t Sc r i p t u re s i n Luke Chapter 2 verses 10 to 11 give a glimpse of what Christmas is all about and should be. It reads: “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.
I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord”. The spirit of Christmas is not in the gi fts we receive, but lies in the love and hope that we share all the days of our lives.
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Tr ad i t i o n a l l y, t h e Ch r i stma s sea so n i s celebrated by feasting, holidaying and prayer. Most churches organise special Christmas services where the birth of Jesus Christ is often relived through the Nativity play whose cast comprises children. In whatever manner you celebrate Christmas, planning should always guide your behaviour to avoid a bad after taste.
Failure to plan leads to impulse-buying where you pick items in a shop out of “peer” pressure or going to holiday destinations without a proper plan. The twin Christmas and New Year ’s Day festivities have many times thrown people off balance financially because of lack of planning. There is nothing wrong with shopping or making merry as long as you can afford and save something for the rainy day.
If you can afford it, why not spoil yourself after a year of sweat and tears,osamazimana.What should be avoided at all costs is living large on borrowed money, especially during what former Attorney General Chikosa Mozesi Silungwe annually describes on his Facebook page as “10 days of madness” from December 21 to January 1 when people spend like they are possessed only to seek “soft loans” from January 2. In 2023, I wrote that the subdued mood that year almost made me conclude that Christmas had been “postponed” until I attended a church service where we sang the Silent Night hymn. Prior to that, a front page headline ‘Tight Christmas as devaluation subdues spending’ inThe Nationof December 20 2023 gave weight to my assumption.
But then no year has generally been all good, there are always high and low moments. Such is life. In such situations, it is our attitude or reaction that makes the difference.
Many people plan such retreats in advance by making their bookings and payments as early as mid-year, so do not just go with the flow. Please drive carefully and strictly observe prescribed speed limits as it is better to be late than “the late”. Remember, speed thrills, but it also kills. Do not drink and drive.
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