Christmas is the time to celebrate with our dear and loved one with full of joy, peace and happiness in our heart. It is the time to reunite; it is the time of reconciliation; it is the time to exchange the gifts to our loved ones and the gift of peace and love to our unfriendly friends and neighbors to bring better relationship because Jesus is coming to bring peace and love for all the people on earth. He is the almighty God, the Counselor, the Prince of Peace.

I feel nostalgia my hometown Christmas celebration; want to join the Christmas in my hometown after 14 years of no celebrating in my hometown/village. I have never been to my village for Christmas celebration since 1992. But I can't go to my hometown for Christmas even this year too due to some inevitable circumstances. Playing the Xmas songs here reminiscence all the memories of my sweet hometown Christmas celebration. I still remember the beautiful Christmas with bonfire in the cold winter, the drying grasses and shedding tree leaves, loudspeaker playing Christmas songs, children with colorful dresses, everyone in great spirit to celebrate and welcoming baby Jesus coming to this world to bring peace and happiness for all the people.

The Christmas celebration in the village seems more enjoyable than celebrating in the city as we have lots of friends with our dear and loved ones in addition to better environment. The total population of the Christians in most of the cities in India is insignificant as a result it is difficult to celebrate widely like other Indian festival. In metropolitan city, people always wear good and new dresses so it does not make much different even if we celebrate Christmas in metropolitan city. But in the village children rarely wear any new dresses except during the Christmas time, which make lots of different from the ordinary days. The Christmas trees and stars in every household look lots different from other ordinary time. Children are very cheerful wearing new dresses during Christmas; no grudge and jealousy in their hearts. Many people come for holiday to their hometown from different towns and cities to celebrate Christmas with their dear and loved one, which also bring better environment and boost the spirit of Christmas celebration as the meeting our dear and loved one after one or two years bring great happiness to us.

We may wear a good dresses but it is difficult to get the true spirit of Christmas celebration in the city without our dear and loved ones. Many people thought that it is not the dresses, food or the place where we celebrate Christmas. But practically the emotional thirst to meet our dear and loved ones and the environment does not meet the criteria of a beautiful in hometown. The environment in the city is also difference from the village. During the Christmas, we see the dry grass and leaves as the winter set in. But we don't see much difference in metropolitan cities as there is no visible differences in season from the trees and grasses; the whole city is covered with high-buildings.

The good news for some people may be bad news for some people but Jesus coming to this earth is the good news for all the people. I pray that who ever celebrate Christmas whether in village or metropolitan city, they may enjoy the Christmas with lots of blessing from our Lord Jesus Christ.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR 2007

By- R.B. Thohe Pou,