Mon May 20, 2024By 4J Christy Tsang
“Christmas is a time to love”, Christmas parties, tree decorating, and gift-giving are what we do every year during Christmas. While doing these, have you ever thought about the true meaning of Christmas? Is it only about celebrating for ourselves and having entertainment? Instead, the key of Christmas is about how Jesus came and died for us to show His love for us. This year, the Catholic Society Christmas Prayer Service wanted to remind us all of the true meaning of Christmas. I was the emcee, my first experience as one. I also served as the commentator for the Prayer Service.
Of course, I was excited and nervous as I faced the audience but knowing my role and what we wanted to achieve gave me strength. I believe it was also a good opportunity for me to learn and understand the true meaning of Christmas for myself – and it was a chance to be grateful and give thanks. We also prepared a special video for sharing. We interviewed numerous people and asked them questions about Christmas and gifts. The purpose of creating this video was not just asking about gifts, but also to highlight the gift that God has given us, that of love. People often focus on material gifts during Christmas, but they forget that love is the most important gift of all. We also had a small present for each person in the audience — Christmas cards. We wanted to spread love through the messages that were written in the cards as it is one of most powerful ways to celebrate Christmas.
We collected Christmas cards with messages written by schoolmates and teachers and distributed them at the Service. This small card, Father Li shared “carries blessings, messages of love, and much more. It can even be more powerful than the presents we receive.” There were countless variations of words written in those 700 Christmas cards, but what remained the same was the love we have given and received. While celebrating with the decorated Christmas tree and joyful parties, let’s take a few minutes to think of the true meaning of Christmas, and reflect. The joy of Christmas is about Christ and about His love for us. Always remain the ‘Christ’ in ‘Christmas’! “Joy to the world, the Lord is come.”