Imbued with the Christmas spirit — something that takes over me every December! — I have — without thinking — been greeting everyone this past week with a merry Merry Christmas! Those who visited me, met along the way, the baker, the shop attendants, the cashiers, the couriers who dropped off parcels at my door were all met with a cheerful Merry Christmas!

And, I was pleasantly surprised by their reaction. All — without exception — reciprocated with a smile and a nod in acknowledgement. Even the dour-faced among them dropped the gloom, their faces lit up!

Most of them don’t celebrate Christmas but they knew what the politicians and religious leaders apparently don’t know: that I wasn’t trying to convert them; simply including them in the merriment of the season. I doubt that their faith was diminished even a tiny bit by my Merry Christmas! They just enjoyed being included in the celebrating community.

You see, Christmas is inclusive; it isn’t exclusive only to Christians. Anyone can celebrate Christmas anyway they like. They don’t have to celebrate Christmas the way Christians do but there is no rule on Earth that says they can’t join in the celebrations unless some politician or religious leader somewhere comes up with an edict that they can’t, in which case the individual has to decide whether to follow the edict or not.

In Malaysia, however, celebrating Christmas should not be an issue. In Sabah and Sarawak, Christians form the majority and they celebrate Christmas without restrictions. The rest of us in Malaysia should get used to the fact.

So, folks, enjoy the season and extend the Merry Christmas greeting! But, let’s be sensitive too. If we know some people don’t want to receive a Merry Christmas greeting, let’s not express it to them. Some of us, for whatever reason, may not be celebrating Christmas, let’s stand with them, sharing whatever we can with them or mute our festivities according to our conscience. We will respect that, too.

We understand pain, trauma and tragedy. At Christmas, we sing about that, too. It’s what we call the broken Hallelujah! In spite of the suffering, we receive the hope the season offers.

So, folks, wishing you a happy Christmas week! Merry Christmas, all!