Christmas B – Snowy Landscape

When snow falls and all is calm and bright

Many people still believe that it isn’t really Christmas if snow doesn’t fall on Christmas Eve! Peace and the anticipation of a new birth somehow merge with a snowy landscape, that at least for a little while instils towns, squares, villages, fields, meadows and forests with a certain tranquillity. A walk on Christmas Eve is therefore a unique experience. The aggressive noise and bustle of everyday life is reduced, although many people see this day as an opportunity for noisy merrymaking amid the stalls of a Christmas market. In the relentless year-round rhythm of hurrying and scrambling after one goal or another, modern human beings need a little peace, at least once a year. How picturesque our towns and villages can be on Christmas Eve, when the roads and paths are totally empty, but a special festive light shines forth from the windows of the houses, telling us that people are celebrating the holiday in peace. For some people, this holiday has a far greater significance and is an integral part of their religious consciousness. For others, Christmas Eve and the day that follows are simply a holiday, a festivity, without any deeper meaning. And yet: is not the fact that we take a little time for ourselves and our loved ones and gather together around the fireplace (or these days the electric oven!) in itself already a deeper meaning?

Janez Bogataj