Christmas in Madagascar

A question I get often is whether I would be spending Christmas with lemurs. As tempting at the thought was, I did not actually spend Christmas with lemurs. I should also clarify that the closest wild lemur to Tana is about 20km or about 13mi outside of the outskirts of the city. But having talked about Christmas in America about a million times to English clubs, English classes, and other groups, I realized that as much as we stress that Christmas has become over commercialized in the United States, the alternatives are not as glamorous or meaningful. Let me explain.

An interesting fact about Christmas in Madagascar is that it’s not really a big deal. When we spoke with students and others about how they celebrate Christmas here, they seemed taken off guard with the question, as if they had never thought about it before, or even still, that there’s nothing to say about it in general. They couldn’t come up with a single “tradition” or “special thing” they do. They go to church, they eat a meal as a family, and they hang out. That’s about it.

There is no exchanging of gifts, exterior decorations are only on government buildings, and only some families use interior decorations. Even Christmas trees are uncommon, but everyone knows that they are. There is no special food or meal they eat. And if there is, no one has been able to tell us.

Mind you, there is a Christmas Park currently at the national soccer stadium. But it is very small and completely westernized. There are little rides like you see at carnivals and small boutiques, which are not much different than those on the street. There is music, a Nativity scene, and a large Christmas tree with Santa, not that anyone knows anything about the cubby, jolly Coca-Cola marketing figure. Megan and I did go to walk around a bit.

But our Christmas was American as we could make it. We went to Christmas Eve mass, which, other than the incredible number of Christmas songs, bore no difference from a normal mass. We ate a Christmas Eve meal and watched A Muppets’ Christmas Carol, my favorite. We Went to bed, woke up, ate crêpes, had Basil over for a large late-lunch, and watched movies the rest of the day while calling family. It’s pretty standard, and we even exchanged gifts and lightly decorated the apartment.

If we were to tell the Malagasy that that’s what we did, they’d look at us with furled brows that seem to say, “Why? Is that normal in America? That seems a little excessive.”

So now it seems appropriate that I come to my primary argument of the blog, not that blogs are necessarily meant to have arguments, but I cannot help but make a wildly hot-take on the idea I ask you to consider. That is, I want to defend the over commercialization of Christmas in America. Put aside the extreme commercialization, those silly movies where people feel pressured to get the perfect gift, that gifts must be of a certain monetary value, that every house must be decorated on every cubic inch, or that Santa is not actually real. I apologize to anyone who has to find out the latter fact. I did not intend that your innocent imagination be shattered by me, so far across the ocean and another continent. But here it goes, so get your philosophical and theological mind prepared as best you can.

Somewhat paradoxically, my defense begins with a simple premise that would normally run contrary to the argument I’m making. That is, we must always remember the meaning of Christmas; the memorial of the birth of Jesus Christ and a calling to all the faithful to prepare for His second coming. You cannot forget this point. Just as Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol relies firmly that Marley was dead to begin with, if you forget this point, that Christmas is the celebration of birth of Christ and a call to prepare for the second coming, then none of what we do at Christmas makes sense; and, indeed, is vain glory.

That being said, let us remember who exactly Jesus Christ is. We can use lots of names or roles, Savior, Lord, God, Word, etc. But the two we should most call to mind for our sake are King and Love. More specifically, the generous aspect of love. I won’t harp too much on this point. However, the fact of the matter is that Christ is King and Christ is Love.

When we consider that Christ is King, we should think exactly what is worthy of a king. When an important person comes to visit, we obviously prepare the place. We clean up, we get a welcoming party together, we put up decorations, and we offer welcoming gifts. It’s no different at Christmas. We get dressed up, we celebrate mass, we decorate our homes and churches, and we, ourselves, are the welcoming gifts to the King. Now put into perspective that Christ is not just King but the King. Does it not make sense then that we should go out of our way to make His arrival the most spectacular? Is it not right that our dress, conduct, and décor reflect the inward desire we have to give honor, glory, and reverence to the King of kings, the one for whom our ancestors waited generation after generation to come into the world? Say what you want about excessive Christmas decorations. When I see them, I cannot help but think, “Yes, He is coming. Not just on December 25th, but every day, every moment. And He will come again. Is my heart ready to receive Him? Do my actions reflect this?” Let us not forget that we are physical and spiritual, that our physical actions are to manifest our spiritual disposition.

The second point I make is in reference to Christ as Love. Love is self-giving. Love is an outpouring. Love is a sacrifice. When we consider these aspects of love, it is necessary to recognize that Christ, the Word, took on the form of man, lowering Himself for our sake in an absolute outpouring of love. In other words, He made of Himself a complete and total gift, one unlike any other because, indeed, this gift from God to mankind is nothing less than God Himself. With this in mind, we should ask ourselves how do we imitate this love. Do we give of ourselves? Do we sacrifice ourselves, especially our own wills, for the benefit of those around us?

There is a reason why we exchange gifts at Christmas. And it is because this tradition mirrors, even if ever so slightly, the Love of Christ. The giving of a gift is a symbolic and physical way of manifesting love. Mind you, we should not be excessive or stress ourselves. All good things can be taken to extremes. If the thought or process of buying a gift causes anxiety, drop it all together. Anxiety never comes from God. But if there is a gift that you want to give, and the thought of giving this gift gives you peace, by all means, please give it. Peace comes from God alone. Anxiety is always a sign that there are contrary forces at work. Nonetheless, the exchanging of gifts, even to what may appear to be excessive levels, should never be sacrificed, overlooked, or undervalued. Not that we can’t get excessive with gift giving. We can and do. But we should never lose the perspective of what exchanging gifts means on a transcendental level. That is, it is a tradition that echoes the love of Christ that we are all called to imitate in our lives. And if this generosity only comes about in such force every December 25th, then so be it. Let it be a moment of conversion. A moment of grace.

In conclusion, what may be considered an over commercialized Christmas culture in the United States is actually a closer manifestation of the spirit of Christmas. That is, we should properly order our passion for decoration and grandeur to the reverence due to the King of kings. And we should not hold back a spirit of generosity and love revealed in the tradition of exchanging gifts. And there you have it. My weak defense for commercialized Christmas.

Never forget that Americans are considered a very generous people. It is a stereotype I hope we never lose. It hints a reminiscence of a genuine Christian worldview that clings to the heart of America and her people. Generosity and gratitude are complimentary virtues. One must be grateful before one can be generous. Perhaps that is why Thanksgiving is positioned so closely to Christmas. A season of gratitude followed by a season of generosity. Or maybe I’m just crazy and reading into it too much. Regardless, merry Christmas. And as always, know that you are in my prayers each morning. All I ask is that you do the same for me.

May God be praised.