Council & Politics
14 December, 2025
Have we lost the meaning of Christmas Day?
"We get so sucked in to ‘doing’ that we don’t take time just to ‘be’, to rest, to enjoy the people around us."
By KAREN PROBST
HO, HO, Ho… hum? How does this time of year affect you?
All around us we see the glitz and glitter of Christmas; food, presents, Santa, happy families, excited kids, Christmas songs in the shops, tinsel, crackers, red and green, even snow!
Some of us are excited and love the buzz of organising a get-together (or two or three), buying presents, arranging a holiday, catching up with family.
Some of us though find the pressure of this time of the year not so much fun.
Fractured families, illness, death; these hard situations can become harder to cope with as Christmas approaches and the loss of what we thought life would be is accentuated.
Then there’s the financial pressure; extra food, presents, buying a tree, decorations, fuel, servicing the car.
And the traffic, rushing to get from Christmas lunch to Christmas tea, trying to see everyone in one day.
And the time pressures; jobs to finish, deadlines to meet, changing jobs, moving house to start a new job in the new year, all the while fitting in extra get-togethers – life doesn’t stop.
And kids home from school, getting under our feet, fighting with each other, how to entertain them.
We get so sucked in to ‘doing’ that we don’t take time just to ‘be’, to rest, to enjoy the people around us.
Society pushes us to conform, to do what everyone around us seems to be doing, to fit in, to post our happy snaps, to put on a brave face.
You may have heard me mention that I don’t like cooking.
Some of my favourite Christmas Days were when the kids and I stayed in our pyjamas lounging at home all day; cold turkey and ham from Cookies butcher, pre-prepared salads from Weirs IGA and Aunty Sara-Lee ‘baked’ us a cheesecake.
For me, that was a perfect day, but the build-up was hard, feeling like I was doing the wrong thing because I wasn’t fitting in with the rush and busyness of the time.
Is there still a real meaning of Christmas?
Is it appreciating family and friends?
Enjoying a holiday?
A break from the day-to-day routine of life?
Maybe you reflect on the life of Jesus?
Christmas did start out as the celebration of his birthday; celebrating a rebel who questioned the status quo of society and encouraged people to think about a different way.
So, as we hit full swing for this hectic time of year, I challenge you to stop and pause; think about what is important to you, how you want to celebrate, what you want to celebrate, be brave to challenge the norm, do it your way and enjoy.
Karen Probst is a Kara Kara Ward councillor for Northern Grampians Shire Council.
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