The Smell and Taste of Christmas

The Smell and Taste of Christmas

I was thinking this morning...... about the smell and taste of Christmas. What does Christmas smell like? Is it like fried turkey or like fresh flowers? I really do not know. As we walked back from lunch days ago, there was this gentle breeze on a dry, cool and slightly sunny afternoon. It was unlike the usual harmattan day. There was something different about this period, or so I thought. Just then, my colleague spoke out saying, 'why can't we have this Christmas season twice a year? Really? But what exactly does he mean by 'this Christmas season?' I queried within me. Could he be referring to the smell of Christmas?

 

As I got back to the office, I heard some colleagues discussing pay day. Is it the end of the month already? One said a sister company had paid their staff on the 15th, reminding me of the news I read recently that Cross River State paid their civil servants their December salaries by the first week in December. This can only happen because it is Christmas season. It must be why this season smells like Christmas.

 

After a long day at the office, I headed home with nothing else in mind but to take a shower and embrace my pillow. As I drove home, there was this glitz on the streets. Why is everywhere looking different? In Community neighborhoods in Port Harcourt, silver discs, flags and ribbons had been tied across the streets, while in the high brow areas flats and duplexes are adorned with decorative string lights, green wreaths, tinsels, snowman etc. What exactly is happening? Oh I see, it is part of the smell of Christmas.

 

As I observed people moving around, there seems to be some sense of urgency in their steps. Suddenly, flights out of town are fully booked and people are going on vacation like their lives depended on it. It seems like offices are shutting down. What is going on here? Could it be, a date has been fixed for the rapture? As I thought about it, I realized it was part of the smell of Christmas.

 

Oh as wonderful and breathtaking as the smell of Christmas could be, there are millions around us who will never taste Christmas and many to whom the taste of Christmas will not be great. I found out that just like Kale (vegetable) often smells fresh, but can taste bitter to people who have toxic taste buds, so is Christmas for many. The smell of Christmas is everywhere, but many around you, not so blessed with the basic necessities of life, will not taste Christmas. Oh, the taste of Christmas is in sharing and giving, without which Christmas will be just like Kale vegetables.

 

Christmas is not about activities but about giving. I recall a story I read years back of a woman that went to the market on Christmas eve for shopping. Everyone was in a frenzy for the last minute shopping and there was hardly an inch of ground to stand on because of the crowd. After shopping, she eventually pushed her way through the crowd and entered the bus very tired. As she took her seat and the bus set out, she took a deep breath and without thinking said 'whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be arrested and shot.' And in a soft voice, someone responded behind her, 'You need not worry ma'am because he was killed over 2000 years ago.'....Mark 10:45.

 

Christmas is here, everyone can smell it, but everyone will not taste it. So, ditch the activities, focus on the giving and share with someone so they can taste Christmas. But as you do so, keep an eye on January, so you won't be among those that will say January has 60 days. There will still be school fees to pay and children to feed after Christmas.

 

Happy Sunday and merry Christmas.

 

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey.