There is something inherently mushy about Christmas. And I think it is because anything to do with babies makes us soft and somehow vulnerable. And I think it is perfectly fine, normal, and even desirable. Many arguments can be made about how society has spoiled this important feast and how it has become another business opportunity. And yet, I still feel that it is OK to celebrate “mushiness” once in a while. It is OK to spend money to buy gifts for others; it’s OK to sing mushy songs constantly. It is a good reminder of how we are, or perhaps how we should be at times. The truth is that the sight of a child is unique. It has the capacity to soften our hearts, to instill in us feelings of compassion, happiness, joy, care, kindness, hope… Probably it brings in us the best of what we can become. Perhaps all these feelings are brought about because babies transmit a sense of frailty, an aura of innocence. When the baby is born, it is all we want the baby to be. A child fulfills all our expectation we have about him or her. We know a baby does not lie or deceive. A baby cannot hurt us in any way. So, on one side, there is the full confidence the child puts in us, and on the other side, we, in return, put all our confidence in the child.
Maybe all these feelings are the reason why Christmas has become so popular: because we all like to experience these feelings of innocence, kindness, and trust. We look forward to experiencing them as much as possible. So, let us celebrate Christmas as a constant reminder that we all have the capacity to be like babies and to treat others like babies, in a mushy way. Nowhere is written that to be an adult it means to be rude, insensitive, offensive, disrespectful or unkind, so…
Have a mushy Christmas!!!
