Christ-miss

Would it matter if we cancelled Christmas?

They say it has happened before.

Back in sixteen forty-seven, it was,

When parliament was a great bore.

But that isn’t exactly what took place,

Of course, you can’t cancel a date,

The law was supposed to put Christmas back

To being time to contemplate.

Now, I think that old law was misguided,

For parties are not always bad,

And laws don’t change folk who’ve decided

That stopping to think would be mad.

But then maybe we’re no less mistaken

If we think that the party’s the point,

Since good parties are called for good reason,

Without which they can disappoint.

So, if we erased Christmas once for all

The parties, the presents, the day

Plus the reason it first was made special

Would life be worse in any way?

We’d still eat, and we’d drink and make merry,

To distract from the dark and cold

But we’d wake in a world no less scary

Without hope to make our hearts bold.

In that Christmas-less parallel cosmos

God wouldn’t have lived in our shoes

With no manger, there would not be a cross,

Consider all the things we’d lose.

We’d have no Lord’s Prayer or golden rule

No base for human dignity.

No lived example of good to the full,

No compassion, merely pity.

Without equality, freedom, or rules,

The weak would be cast to the side.

Without hospitals, science or schools,

The rich would grow fat in their pride.

But above all these losses one towers:

We’d be left helpless in our sin,

Subject still to malevolent powers

We’d have no peace or joy within.

No end to our search to find happiness,

Just an uncertain slide to death.

There’d be no light to shatter the darkness

From first cry until final breath.

If Christmas was cancelled, then, we would lose,

Much more than a party or feast.

So, in this season, have fun, but please choose

In the midst not to miss the Christ.