Why does Christmas come before New Year Every Year?

Every time we approach New Year, we celebrate Christmas before starting another new calendar. Christmas means many things to many people. For those who follow the faith, it means prayers, for some its celebration, for others it is a holiday, christmas tree, plum cakes, santa claus, rudolf and much more. For me, who has passed out of a convent school it conjures up the image of service and in particular ‘giving’.

I believe that every time we go through 25th December to reach 1st January – the message is loud and clear – giving should precede receiving. 1st January is a time when we decide on what we want to do through the year, the resolutions we want to keep (or break), the goals we want to set and achieve, the relationships we want to create, sustain and grow, and all the other things that we want for ourselves. But 25th December I believe tells me a very different story. It reminds me of what I can give, who I can serve, and think of who I can make happy. Bringing joy to others is what ‘Christmas’ reminds me of. Though I grew up as an orthodox Hindu, I studied in a Roman Catholic institution and spend equal amount of time in both the Temple and the Chapel. The silence (though rare nowadays) in the temples and chapels mean the same to me.  Jesus is considered by many of us as messiah with a clear message to mankind. He is a Yogi; who realized godliness as he lived on as a simple man amongst all of us. His life and messages have a deep impact on me. I take his messages pretty much seriously and investigate them for my personal development.

My humble attempt is to live  just one of his principles namely: “Judge not others”. Every time I read about this; I feel touched and inspired from deep within. If only we can live life without judgement and treat everybody as they are and only think how we can enable them live happily – the journey on Earth will be more enjoyable than usual.

I thought I would share these thoughts that came to me early this morning with you. If you have the time, do share what Christmas brings up to the top of your mind. we would love to listen and learn.

Merry Christmas!