Christmas is fast approaching. Although it’s still early November – the month dedicated to our departed loved ones – our roundabouts are already being decorated for the season. The same goes for shops. They want to sell early for Christmas.

However, I was rather irritated on November 5 while shopping for some household stuff in a large department store. I had a look round the section dedicated to Christmas decorations. There were tinsels, balls, trees of all sorts and sizes and even that silly (in my opinion) figure of Father Christmas, which is frequently seen hanging to ladders fixed to balconies or windows, passing a bad message to children.

Since I like to send greetings to friends abroad and to other acquaintances whom I don’t meet every day, I looked out for some nice religious cards. However, athough there was a large selection, there were no religious ones and I did not buy anything. I never send Christmas cards without a religious message.

It upsets me to see such things. Sending Christmas greetings without a religious message does not make sense to me. Every year, just like all households (I presume) in Malta, I receive a packet of cards painted by artists holding their brush in their mouth. I always buy the packet, however, I insist that cards not depicting the image of Baby Jesus be changed. My request has always been adhered to.

This is a habit that we Christians should not discard. After all, that is what Christmas should mean to us Christians.