POST by JED: So THIS is Christmas?

As a small child, Christmas Day was the best day of my life! So many memories and so much joy... 

I loved to wake at the crack of dawn (9am). My brother was never impressed by this intentional provocation. He was up at 4am and not permitted to so much as sniff a present until I was sitting by his side.

From beneath the tree we would be whisked away to the am service. My father was the minister of our seaside suburban Sydney Church, hence I enjoyed adding to my bank of sleep an additional 45 minutes.  

Though I must admit, he used to get extremely emotional about stuff and scream at the top of his lungs, even at Christmas, which interrupted my naps. I didn´t become upset though. I loved these moments - the passion, the fury! I would stand on the pew, beside my mother, so as to get a better look at my red faced, flabbergasted father.

I don´t really remember the rest of the day, because I think it evolved over my childhood from boring European Christmas Lunch/Dinner styled celebrations, shared between relatives in different cities, to picnics at the beach, and Christmas movies in the evening on our black and white telly set.

Then in my late childhood my aunty and uncle won the lotto and got a pool. My life was never to be the same. (In a way I´d won the lotto too) Every year we´d alternate between my mother´s family, the Morgans, and our Newcastle family (the ones with the pool).

With the Morgans we would spend the day at the beach. These were awesome times. Gran and Pop would be there, my only living grandparents left – without them Christmas didn´t exist. There were always beautiful, functional gifts, nothing excessive, and everyone gave to everyone (taste and thought were truly evidenced in the gifts exchanged). I usually enjoyed a collection of cool pressies, but there was never anything that totally rocked my World, and that was okay with me.

Christmas with the Newcastle family was also terrific. I loved my cousins, who were my age, unlike my Morgan cousins (who were a few years younger). The mornings were fun, though for me, tainted with a wee bit of envy.

I remember on one occasion, in my early teens, borrowing a video camera from a friend in Canberra – I later wished I hadn´t. I videoed this-and-that, but focused on Christmas morning with the relos. I remembered videoing my cousins unwrapping surf boards, tapes, mountains of clothes, bikes, and everything else under the sun.

That same Christmas Day I eagerly thrust the camera into my cousin´s hands, and made her video me unwrapping my “goodies”. A Biblical concordance and a pair of socks. YAY!!! My voice broke. I held the socks up to the camera and tried to hide my contrived “smile”. It was one of those smiles that just wouldn´t stick. I ended up bawling my eyes out in the toilet. (Sniff) The rest of the day was always heaps of fun, this day no exception, endless games of Marco Polo in the pool.

I came to appreciate Christmas as a time of family and not as a massive commercial event. In my mid teens we started a tradition of buying just for one person, and this suited me fine. I enjoyed catching up with family, chit-chatting and enjoying the beach. The inter-city migration ended and Christmas became about the immediate family. My Uncle and Aunt from the Morgan family divorced and with massive bodies loping around in Newcastle, Christmas became too big (though the Brien family still loves and enjoys all of our extended family).

In my late teens our family began attending a non-Church. We were a group, “a concept, a destination, a philosophy…” (AbFab) I REALLY loved these people, though we were in a time warp and should´ve been busting-out in the 70s and not the 90s.

We didn´t “do” Christmas! It was very convenient when Lizzie came along, because up until that point we were so busy NOT doing Christmas, that we actually drew more attention to it than if we had have just opened a pressie or 2. But NO, we were not idolisers, pagans, SATAN worshippers! We were set apart, different, unworldly, special…

Lizzie´s birthday is the 25^th of December. So as a group (a concept, a destination, a philosophy), we threw all of our worth into showing our love for Liz, who hadn´t died on a cross, but was lovely just the same. She didn´t get fabulous pressies, as this was too close to a Christmas tradition. But people did dote on her, and she always lucked it with little nick-nacky tasteful items, like nutty key rings, and terrific sarongs in earthy browns and blues…

Enter the Townsends… My first Christmas in England, led by Liz, was revolutionary for me. I´d never celebrated “the Christ” with people from the Northern Hemisphere. I have to say that I didn´t react well and was totally blown away (but unfortunately, not positively). I regret my responses now, but at the time I couldn´t believe my eyes. 

It began with midnight mass on the 24^th of December, which I was excited about, until I realised that it wasn´t Catholic. Boo-hoo! There I was being all-accepting, open-minded, (a concept, a destination, a philosophy) when I realised we were sitting in a boring ol´ Church of England service. (Anglican – my Poppy was an Anglican Minister, I´d already had my fair share of boring services…) Oh Heavens, I thought to myself. I then wished I was at home in Australia, as the Lord intended, watching Julie Anthony sing at Carols by Candlelight. (What a great idea St. George!!!)

But no, it wasn´t to be… Did I mention that we had gone to the MIDNIGHT MASS? Well, we came home and went immediately to bed. Little Francesca, just 3 years old, and Renzy, 6 months, both slept soundly until my WIFE, let´s call her ELIZABETH, got up at 4am and woke the house with her. But I, wise ol´ Jeddy, refused to budge. (regrettably fought the wrong battle there…) I “wisely” waited until 6am before rising. And what a sight… A word of wisdom to men thinking that I was doing the right thing here… Never, EVER cross your new wife on Christmas Day. More than a decade has passed and I still remain unforgiven.

Well, I walked into the “lounge room” and strained my eyes. I tell you the truth, EVERYONE was sitting on the floor, and HAPPY!!! It was appalling to me. I couldn´t see my children. They were giggling and the wrapping paper above them rustled as they moved around the room from spot to spot. I tell you the truth (again), it truly was a sea of paper. I dared not enter for fear of being sucked in by all this joy. What was the meaning of all this, this, this Fun and Happiness. I retreated to my room where I placed a towel over my head and inhaled deeply. 

Now, years later, Christmas for the Briens has evolved even further. I guess that´s family for you. No biggy. Changes have to be made as we invite others into our lives.

We have celebrated a second Christmas in the northern hemisphere and this time in New York. Things were equally as crazy in this beautiful country, and this time I was a tad better prepared.

Elizabeth and I have realised that our family is made up of two very distinct cultures. Together, united, we have formed our very own culture. I have resisted as I have felt Liz pushing for a place (a concept, a destination, a philosophy), that I hadn´t ever dreamt of going. Liz has also struggled as I´ve pulled in the opposite direction. And so, as you can see… Christmas´s in our family have had quite a turbulent evolution.   

But this year, for me, there has been quite a breakthrough. We now live in Nicaragua, a land physically rich, with a people economically poor. We are extending ourselves, forging into the Nicaraguan culture. We have been to our guard´s niece´s wedding, the youth group pastor´s house for dinner, we´ve been to rural quinces and our lawyer´s wife even comes to learn English with Liz. We´re out there, in the community, and we love it!

This Christmas we decided to do something a little different. We decided to have our very own Carols by Candlelight Concert in our very own backyard. (VIVA MELBOURNE!) We had always planned on raising money for our local community (to buy toys and food for them) and saw this as an opportunity to involve the local Nicaraguan Church and our Gringo partners. 

Oh what a night! At 5:30pm we were still downloading songs onto our laptop. The Church arrived at 6pm. Our guests arrived at 7. We began. I had selected a Vanessa Amorosi song to sing, as I wanted to sing something that showed my full range of vocal abilities. At the last minute we pulled out the crazy bits, I wasn´t wanting to show anyone up and my throat was aching after weeks of hayfever related symptoms.

Naturally it was a hit! Some of my lower notes were so low and hot they were nearly in hades! We moved on to some of the classics, such as Ding Dong Merrily on High (notes too high, couldn´t reach them, showed that we were a bit ding dong) and Silent Night. (after this little number, the audience truly were wishing it was a silent night…)  

Then the rain came. Now for those of you who don´t know, Nicaragua is in the tropical region of the Western Hemisphere. We have rain from June to November. It was quite a rude shock for us to have rain on a night such as the one we were celebrating, the birth of the Christ! But still, we powered on. (rather, we powered off, and moved the entire operation onto the verandah… “90 people, please grab an instrument and move 15 steps to the south.” It was a shambles! Liz and I relished in the moment! I thought back to my father´s red faced screaming in the Church… I had become my father!!!)

The kids performed an ol´ YWAM dance, For Unto US a Child is Born. It was a hit. The audience loved it. Lorenzy, Sezni and Raf, performed this dance with kids from the local Church. Naturally I directed from the front, due to the success of this number, most people watching me and wondering how and why. As I often remind my sister inlaw, “DON´T JUMP ON THE BANDWAGON, LEEEEEEEEEAD THE PARADE!!!”

The worship band from the mother Church of our local Church then performed seven songs. They were extraordinary! I don´t think Nicas are usually known as great singers or performers, but tonight, these semi-rural Christians could have been on any stage in the World. They sang with stamina and style, but most importantly, they sang with conviction.

From there we moved on to Away in a Manger. Raffy led this number, Fran on guitar, Renz on keys and Sez on the drums. All of the wee tots came to the fore and worshipped Jesus, our Saviour. I don´t think there was a dry eye – the pollen in the air – truly, horrendous…

The kids stayed on the instruments as we sung At the Cross, cause it´s ALL about the Cross, and then our nationals came back to lead us in Feliz Navidad. Yihaa!

The night had it´s highs (Ding Dong) and it´s lows (Hello Vanessa!!!), but all in all I realised one thing. I´ve found my Christmas Niche (a concept, a destination, a philosophy).

Our family is here in Nicaragua to stay. We´ve been sent by our Church in Australia to seek out and to save the lost, to bring hope to those without it, to feed, clothe, educate... You´ve heard all of that before.

However, what you mightn´t know is, I´ve been wandering around the face of this Earth, wondering how to express my Christmasness. I have lacked a Christmas identity…

And now I know… Christmas is about being together - just as Christ desires togetherness with HIS Church, reconciling differences - as Christ reconciled with both Jew and Gentile, forgiving - as Christ forgave, and loving - as Christ loved. AND ALL IN FRONT OF A LIVE, CAPTIVE AUDIENCE, MICROPHONE IN-HAND!!! Don´t jump on the bandwagon, grab your concept, destination, or philosophy and by joves darn it, LEAD THE PARADE!!! (Be who Christ made you to be... Be RADICAL!!!)