The confusion regarding Christmas and its public holiday took an unusual twist for my relatives in Suva. They had decided well before hand to just pay a restaurant to cook and supply various dishes of their choice for their Christmas lunch. During the week they contacted the restaurant to check if things were going well and they were given a positive report. Then we were told that shops would be opened on Saturday and that it would be a normal working day because the Christmas holiday was on Monday. This was fair enough, from a business point of view.
Then the sudden realisation of Christians going to work on Christmas Day hit us full in the face. And there was talk of employers docking pay if employees choose to stay away and celebrate Christmas was thrown through the grape vine. People said this was not on because Christmas was a holy day and to go to work would dilute the sanctity of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Government decided in good faith to declare Saturday a pubic holiday and we are thankful for it.
However, amid all this confusion, my relatives contacted the restaurant to check because they had already paid the money to them and were reassured they would deliver. At the eleventh hour the restaurant owner said they heard that Saturday was going to be declared a holiday and that they would be closed. They had started buying the ingredients for the all the food and were at a loss whether to open or not. But they didn’t want to break any laws and would rather face the wrath of my relatives than the law. And they told my relatives they couldn’t deliver. My relatives’ money was tied up at the restaurant and they had to do something quickly so that they could have a meal on Christmas day. All the relatives got together once again and scrounged around for what ever money they had left to buy foodstuff. Whatever money they had, had been budgeted for other things and they were in what we now refer to as our Christmas dilemma.
Many hands were joined in prayer and also to soften their hearts. Of course you will understand the anger that filled almost all of them, children included. But they managed to go into town and buy whatever they could and just couldn’t get rid of that disappointment that hung over their head. Then they went to midnight mass and the rest went to morning mass and they gathered at the proposed home and cooked liked they never cooked before. Their skills were tested and they got things going and of course they managed to put-in for some yaqona and all was well. They will go and talk to the restaurant owner to see if their money can be refunded.
We now have a suggestion, next time Christmas falls on a Saturday, that day should be declared a public holiday from the beginning of the year and have the Boxing day public holiday on Monday. We save on one public holiday and continue to be productive with one less day to stay at home.
We have learnt a good lesson and that is to always be prepared for the something like this even during the birth of Jesus, because we are humans and our laws are man made. Unlike laws of the bible, they can never go wrong.
4 comments:
Could Mr Lockington show me where in the Bible it says Jesus was born on December 25?
Hello ripcurly ...The bible doesn't say anything at all about it, but if you have any other fact on it, I would love to read it. As a matter of fact there are many things I celebrate that are not in the bible.. But because they have good values and makes me a better person, I celebrate anyway ... its a date that I choose to celebrate. That is an argument that is old as time itself... Debatable till we run out of breath, yes... I celebrate anyway... Some say its pagan, some say its wrong, I don't argue with them. They could be right, they may have the real evidence, I don't. I just see the good in it and celebrate. Each to his own, I say.
Happy New Year anyway. And thanks for the post.
Croz please add... wow , what a question... anyway I am not a theologian.
Here is a story: A seminar was held in the US many years ago. Amongst the panel of speakers was a bishop and other clergy. Then an academic and a skeptic, perhaps trying his luck to catch the men of the cloth of guard asked, "What was god doing before he created the earth?" With a smug smile on his face he sat back to see what the possible answer would be.
A philosopher who was an astrologer and a non believer asked the clergymen if he could attempt an answer."
"Be our guest." Said the bishop.
The philosopher said, "To answer that question, this is what I think, God was creating hell for people like you who ask these kind of question."
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