merry christmas 2006 ( will war be over?)

i cannot truthfully say that it will be a merry christmas in sri lanka. for one thing i fail to see the relevance of fir trees, snow, annual sales, yule logs, jingle bells and a fat white man dressed in red. before i am accused of being a party pooper i however hasten to add that i fully endorse family gatherings, kids making life a misery for their parents, giving gifts, cribs, midnight mass and the carol “o! holy night!”. actually all carols.

the message of christmas, after all, is love. not mistletoe and wine.

x’mas last year was memorable in that mid night mass was celebrated with churches under armed guard. it really did feel very like the middle east during the birth of christ. this time around there is growing tension in the north and the east of the island. plus, on the 26th of december, we remember last years tsunami.

so for christmas 2005, this is just for you;


“...yet with the woes of sin and strife

the world has suffered long;

beneath the heavenly strain have rolled

two thousand years of wrong;

and man, at war with man, hears not

the tidings which they bring;

o hush the noise, ye men of strife,

and hear the angels sing!”

- it came upon a midnight clear

my wish is that you listen this christmas.