By Daniella Dawn Lyngwa
SHILLONG, Dec 23: Christmas is more than just a festival. The season that once called for reflection, humility, and compassion now competes with shopping lists and social expectations. With spotlight on bright decorations adorning the streets and the season arriving in colours, there is a need to pause and reflect on whether the spiritual essence of Christmas is being overshadowed by commercial displays and festive excess.
Shillong is now transformed into a city of light and sound — streets glow beneath strings of stars, church bells cut through the winter air, and carols drift softly from sanctuaries and homes alike, while shops grow busier and social calendars fill up. Yet beneath the cheer and activity, a deeper question lingers—has Christmas become more about what is visible than what is meaningful?
It is within this tension between tradition and transformation that churches and communities seek to reclaim the heart of Christmas.
Church leaders reaffirm spiritual core of Christmas
For church leaders, the answer begins with faith.
Pastor-in-Charge of Laban Presbyterian Church, Reverend P Nongkynrih, said Christmas is not an event confined to a single day or month. “The planning for the celebration of Christmas is not only in December; it is throughout the year,” he said, explaining that the church prepares spiritually and organisationally from the beginning of the year.
The main celebrations, he noted, takes place in December with carol singing involving children’s, youth, and women’s fellowships from December 22 to 24, followed by a Christmas Day service on December 25 and a community feast on December 27. At the centre of every programme, Rev. Nongkynrih stressed, is Christ himself. “Take away Jesus from Christmas, and it is only a festival,” he said, adding that “Christmas is remembering the coming of Jesus Christ to save the whole world from sin.”
While acknowledging that modern celebrations often focus on Santa Claus, gifts, and decorations, he maintained that outward expressions must not overshadow inward transformation. “The outward expressions are secondary,” he said. “The real meaning of Christmas must be inside the heart—to have Jesus in one’s life.”
Echoing this message, Father Richard Majaw, Episcopal Vicar of the Archdiocese of Shillong and Parish Priest of St. John Church, Laban, emphasised that Christmas is fundamentally a religious celebration.
He explained that preparations begin weeks before December 25 with the season of Advent and nine days of Novena. “For us as Christians, this is a religious festival, and everything that we do must be oriented towards something divine and spiritual,” he said.
Father Majaw acknowledged that symbols and gift-giving play a role in human celebration. “External things are important because we are human beings,” he said, but added a note of caution: “If it ends only with something worldly, then I think we have missed the point.”
Reflecting on Christ’s humble birth, he reminded believers, “Jesus Christ was born in a stable. If we leave out the poor in our Christmas celebration, that may not be the real meaning of Christmas.”
Compassion beyond Christmas day
Both church leaders emphasised that helping the poor is not meant to be seasonal. Rev. Nongkynrih explained that supporting the needy is a year-round ministry of the church. “Throughout the year, we help those who are broken and in need,” he said, adding that during Christmas, the church makes special efforts by providing food, clothes, and personal visits. “We encourage them by reminding them that Jesus Christ came for all people—the poor, the downtrodden, and the forgotten.”
Father Majaw echoed this view, stating that charity should be a lifelong commitment.
“We need to help the poor not only during Christmas time, but throughout our lives,” he said, highlighting the parish’s continued support for education and healthcare.
Community reflections from across India
Beyond the church, voices from different walks of life reflected on how Christmas is experienced today.
Rita Kalita, a former Shillong resident now living in Tezpur, spoke with nostalgia about the season. Although not a Christian, she recalled growing up surrounded by Christmas celebrations in school and her neighbourhood. “Christmas has always meant warmth, family, and hope,” she said. One memory, she noted, still stirs deep emotion—the sound of church bells. “The chiming of church bells in Shillong during Christmas has a way of touching the heart,” she said, adding that even now, hearing bells brings a sense of peace and belonging.
Rijied Mark Iangrai, a small business owner, pointed to how busyness and materialism often take centre stage. “People get caught up in shopping and celebrations,” he said, noting that the deeper values of sharing and caring are sometimes overshadowed.
For Daphisara Iangrai, a government employee, the challenge lies in modern pressures. “People are overwhelmed with responsibilities, financial stress, and expectations,” she said, explaining that compassion is sometimes overlooked not because people lack care, but because they feel stretched thin.
Evabeth Shullai, who works with Public Sector Undertakings in Kolkata, described Christmas as “a season of giving that has become overly commercialised.” Still, she believes the message has not disappeared. “It is just hidden behind the packaging,” she said.
From Bengaluru, Seraiah Basan, a sixth-year law student, observed that social pressure often replaces service. “People want Christmas to look perfect,” she said, adding that many forget even small acts of kindness can make a meaningful difference.
As adults spoke with experience and concern, it was the youngest voices that offered the simplest truths.
Leanna Lyngwa, a class five student from Loreto Convent, explained confidently, “We celebrate Christmas because it’s the birth of Jesus.” Asked what Jesus wants people to do, she replied, “Help the less fortunate, because they are also God’s creation.” Her personal Christmas goal was refreshingly practical: “I want to help clean the world and not pollute… and I won’t talk behind people’s backs.” A resolution many grownups might consider borrowing.
Meanwhile, Adaiah Lyngwa, a cheerful class one student, had her own practical reason for loving Christmas. “Without Christmas, we cannot get holidays and breaks,” she said with a smile. But she quickly added a deeper thought, calling Jesus “a king and a saviour,” and saying it is important to help the poor because “He made this world and all the people.” Her Christmas promise was short and sincere: “To do kind things and not be mean.”
Returning to the stable
From church pulpits in Laban to offices, classrooms, and homes across the country, the core message of Christmas remains clear: beyond lights and gifts, the season is about compassion, humility, and care for those on the margins.
As faith leaders urge believers to return to the spiritual heart of Christmas, and children unknowingly preach the simplest sermons of all, the season gently points back to its beginning—not in splendour, but in a stable.
And perhaps, when the bells chime once more across Shillong, they will remind everyone that Christmas is not just something to celebrate, but something to live, long after the lights are switched off and the decorations are put away.
