Christmas—Why is humanity worth it?

Luca offers his perspective on Christmas and human relationships.

Recently, a terrible war has erupted in Israel. The clatter of rockets makes the divine midnight sky burn like hell. The roar of black smoke scatters rubble. The rattling of rounds of gunfire against the heavy wails of mothers, teardrops, and blood drops stain the streets. Whispers ache for hope. But war is nothing new, for this habit of mankind reflects the timelessness of hatred and division. It seems as though the heart of humanity has not ceased to fester. 

Nevertheless, within a historic moment of war exists the greatness of humanity. In 1914, the hum of carols in the trenches brought British and German soldiers of World War I to meet in “no man’s land” where they greeted each other with songs, exchanged tobacco and wine, and proceeded to play a game of soccer. Somewhere in France, the world had paused that day because of the unifying spirit of Christmas. In short, it is this universal essence that best represents the beauty and worthiness of humanity. 

Indeed, popular Christmas songs have rhythms and lyrics that fill our ears with delight and our hearts with lightness. More profoundly, however, the raw harmony between the many voices that exist in the hum of hymns of choirs and carols as one in song is awesome. Song becomes boundless. Song becomes a language that everyone understands. Song breaks barriers. Song becomes freedom. Song becomes an act of love. It is a thread between people that gains, louder and louder, ultimately so that it can catch the wind and be taken high up to the celestial bodies. There, it may reach greater powers and other entities, yet, in doing so, song brings one another closer together. Song is more powerful than religion. 

Furthermore, Christmas embraces tradition, a core element of humanity. While year after year of fresh evergreen or pine trees, red glossy ornaments, and sparkling little lights might seem special, the personal customs are even more profound. For me, it is the empanada like Sicilian votavotas and Calabrese gaiche that tell me the stories about the Christmases of my ancestors through the same soft potatoes and warm ricotta that they too once ate. It is the muscles and clams that tell me about when my parents were dating. It is the chocolate-covered strawberries that bring me back to me as a child. Likewise with other people, food serves as a way to connect oneself with people of the past, the present, and the future whether it be in yams, in lobster, in tangerines, or in lamb. Food is a symbol of the timelessness of love and creation, a reminder of the selflessness within the roots of tradition. 

Above all, tying songs and traditions such as food together and extending them, Christmas is about the exchange of love between people. The mistletoe or the exchange of gifts is enchanted by an ambiance of the chance of snow, a crackling fireplace, and bright lights bringing companionship to the forefront of life. Thus, it is the grand culmination of love and the act of sharing that persists as a result of companionship that makes the spirit of one day of the year, Christmas, so special. Beyond being representative of the beauty and worthiness of the whole of the human race, Christmas makes a life with its imperfections and challenges worth living in the end. 

Luca Raffa