Peace on Earth and goodwill to all men is one of the many refrains we hear in the Christmas season in December. Together with wreaths, glittering festoons, and the tinsel, ribbons, baubles and lights of Christmas trees, they create the merry ambiance in which Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, Immanuel — God with us.

The Christmas decor is, of course, not what Christmas is all about. It simply creates the mood to celebrate what Christians through the centuries have known in our hearts with or without the decor — the hope that Jesus Christ, who we believe in, represents, and the result of which we experience firsthand that God, indeed, is in our midst. And that we celebrate unapologetically.

However, that does not mean that we close our eyes to the pain and suffering around us or turn a deaf ear to the cries of loss, despair and destruction that reach out to us. This, precisely, is why we celebrate. We are so fully aware of human reality and how unbearable it can be that we celebrate to send the message, all is not lost.

There is always hope, hope that drives us to push against the darkness of human mortality, of trauma and tragedy, and find a way out to escape or transcend it.

Some people, especially those who have been greatly moved by the suffering of the Palestinians in the on-going Israeli-Hamas conflict, have said that Christians should mute our celebrations of Christmas in solidarity with the Palestinians. While we are sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians and to their supporters, we have to say to these critics that they have missed the point of Christmas entirely.

We celebrate not to gloat over the misfortune of others; we ourselves have suffered and know what it is like. We celebrate and invite them to join in our festivities to find a little respite, a little taste of joy, love, and acceptance, a little forgetfulness, and a little insight of hope to get going again.

Christmas is meant to refresh and help us find the hope to live despite the pain of human reality. So, not just in Palestine but everywhere in the world where Christians celebrate Christmas grandly, normally or simply, my hope and prayer is that those who are struggling with life will find a little relief in the decor, the spirit, the festivities, the warm homes and the songs of Christmas.

This is the season to hope for better things. Peace on Earth and goodwill to all men and women …..