Christmas is hard work. This fact is lost on you as a child, but as childhood transitions into adulthood and adulthood becomes parenthood, you begin to appreciate how much planning and stagecraft goes into the production of Christmas. Because of this, you’ll often hear people argue that what we really need this time of year is to do away with all this complexity, that it simply isn’t worth the stress. However, I won’t be giving that advice in this letter. On the contrary, I’m here to tell you that in a year where there has been little opportunity to celebrate, our goal should be to carry on as best we can. That the show must go on, not just for your friends, family, and children, but for yourself.
The work of Christmas isn’t just stuffing stockings, wrapping presents, and baking hams. When you make the leap from being the Christmas audience to the man behind the beard, you often find that a part of the work is getting yourself in the right state of mind, in the spirit of Christmas, so you too can experience the joy of the season. Unfortunately, this year it’s likely harder than ever. Personally, this season has been bereft of the usual in-person Advent church services, Salvation Army bell ringers, Commandery Christmas observances, festive mall shopping, family visits and other traditions that make the Christmas season feel normal. I know many brothers often feel that the holiday season really starts after lodge installation, and those too have been gone. Council installations have continued online, and I look forward to ours this evening, but I think we all know that Zoom only goes so far.
Perhaps, in light of all this, you feel like this season is a wash, and aside from the bare minimum, Christmas is canceled. I want to tell you that if you celebrate Christmas you need to resist the temptation to give up. With just a few days left before Christmas, do what you need to do to get yourself there. Don’t skip this opportunity for a bit of joy in this otherwise dark time. If it’s church services, countless are streaming online. If it’s music, the Washington National Cathedral has posted their 2020 Joy of Christmas Concert on YouTube. If it’s almsgiving, the Salvation Army kettles are still being filled online and the CMMRF can always use your support. You have time to get into the spirit, and you should use it.
It’s easy to regard traditions as superfluities, but they often serve an important purpose. Human beings have been celebrating this time of year since time immemorial. Western Christmas traditions often incorporate the trappings of Yule. Hanukkah was just last week. New Year’s celebrations of varying cultural and religious significance are just around the corner, and even in largely Muslim nations like my wife’s native Bangladesh Christmas is celebrated as Bara Din, simply translated as “Big Day.” This conflux of celebrations in December points to a deep human need, that when things get dark, we need Light. And in this year of so much darkness, our need to look to the Light is especially clear. So, take the time to enjoy this season, and find the joy possible within it. Through it may we all find the hope of immortality by faith in the divine promise.
Glad tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year,
Brandon Mullins
Illustrious Grand Chaplain
Grand Council of Royal &
Select Masons of Michigan