What I Think About Christmas

I used to love Christmas when I was a child. At the age of seven, I discovered that the presents were given by my father, not by the so-called jolly old man who came at night and slid down the chimney to leave gifts under the tree. After all, that doesn’t make sense, as I live in a tropical country and in a region where it’s never cold. We don’t even have chimneys! It would make more sense to have a giant freezer to combat the year-round heat. Santa Claus couldn’t possibly come out of a freezer. Or could he?

Christmas is, historically, a time of hope, sharing, and celebration. For centuries, humanity has been accustomed to and even manipulated into gathering around decorated tables, exchanging gifts, and strengthening family bonds in the name of this season that evokes both the religious and human aspects of unity. But the truth is far from that, isn’t it?

Could it be that nowadays, and in the future—if we even have one—Christmas can still be viewed through this carefully crafted lens of entirely capitalist propaganda, designed to trap as many people as possible in a lie? Will our selfishness, our cowardice, and our mental laziness to bring about change withstand this "Christmas" that is sold to us year after year? Will people choose to remain in the false ignorance of what happens outside our homes?

As the world moves toward new challenges and cultural transformations, an unsettling question arises: does Christmas still make sense in contemporary reality? Truly? Do you believe this kind of Christmas still holds any real value? Because I haven’t believed it for a long time.

Have you ever, even for a moment, just one minute, had the courage to face the current reality? Have you ever tried to be more human? Truly, not just paying lip service or posting about it online?

Have you ever stopped and breathed in the rotten air of lies we’re forced to consume daily by the media? Have you noticed how this is dragging us further into a deep hole—so deep that, soon, very soon, we’ll be gasping for air with our mouths open, only to find it’s useless? We’ll suffocate inside this hole we’re helping to dig every day, with our lack of courage to truly become human.

These are terrible times, and I’m sorry to say, they’re going to get worse. One day, you’ll be a victim of the system you insist on pretending you don’t see. Our lives are being shaped by growing inequalities, climate crises, and technological advancements that have altered the way we connect.

And yet, no one truly stops to breathe, to meditate for a moment, to assess everything around them—how it influences them and what they can do to make things better for everyone, not just for the small and select group that truly runs the world. The rest merely believe they’re part of this world of illusion, but they’re nothing more than slaves of the modern age, and their end will be far from the happy dream they imagine.Christmas, which evokes the idea of generosity and empathy, seems to sit on the sidelines of these debates. It’s all a grand illusion created to give you a false sense that you live in a good world, that you have what you need—always less than you desire—but they plant the idea in your mind that you can be happy with less.

However, those who rule the world always want more. And they won’t stop until everything has been consumed.The celebration has been reduced to excessive consumerism, fueling a cycle that contradicts the very values the date is supposed to symbolize. And everyone wants to portray this false kindness and love that exists only in advertisements. With the internet, this has only worsened.

Now we have screen zombies—people who can no longer live without a phone in their hand, consuming lies and manipulations spread by the system all day, every day. Many follow influencers who only lead others down the wrong path, making each person on the other side less human.

This leaves the screen zombies blind to reality. They don’t see the unemployed, the homeless, those without healthcare, or the bare minimum needed to live a decent, peaceful life.In the decorated windows of stores, trees and lights blink incessantly, urging you to consume to show "your love" for others. But in the backdrop of reality, there is a large part of the global population fighting to survive. We have people being abused in various ways, with the consent of the malignant system created by man, for man, and that kills man!

How can we reconcile the joy and abundance of Christmas with the reality of so many people without homes, hungry, or affected by armed conflicts? How can you think this is normal and repeat the cycle that life has always been this way? Aren’t you ashamed? I am! Because even fighting alone, with my humble understanding of what the system does to humanity, I fight every day. I speak to as many people as I can. If I wake up even one person, I know I’m contributing to a future change. Perhaps I won’t be here to see it, but a part of me will be in it.

Moreover, the world has become more plural, with much more diversity, even though some crazy groups with no real sense of life want the world to return to the old days, when everything was dry and devoid of any sense of reality. In large, globalized cities, we coexist with diverse cultures, beliefs, and traditions. These are different minds united in the same environment, and we need to learn to live together.

For many, Christmas is not a meaningful holiday; it's just another day on the calendar. And for me, it’s the same. Since I was 17, Christmas has been just a day where I eat a lot of delicious food that’s hard to find on other days, like panettone, for example. But it’s just another day. A holiday on the calendar where I can indulge my gluttony. And still, these days, even that has been taken from me. I no longer need that gluttony. I know that just outside my gate, there is someone who is very hungry. Really hungry. So hungry that they would do anything to have a small piece of the bread I eat on Christmas.

We have a cultural diversity that enriches our communities, but it also challenges the dominance of Christian celebrations as a universal benchmark. So, what does the system, represented by its "chosen ones" in government, do? They can't let you relax, be friendly, or respect others. If you are peaceful, you cut off the main source of income for the world's commanders. They need you to be neurotic, to fear your neighbor, to push away "different" people.

This is how the system feeds on your fear and continues to grow daily, while you slowly die. Your mind gets sick, then your body, and in the end, you die, having fulfilled your role according to the ruling group of the world. You were just a pawn on the board. You did everything right as they wanted, and your reward is a weary life, full of drama, illness, and a common death, thrown aside somewhere. Now they go after the new group of slaves who are coming. It’s necessary to dominate their minds as well. The true symbol of Christmas only exists for a few, and with each passing year, it becomes fewer.

All this modernity has also brought with it a paradox: we are more digitally connected, but more emotionally distant. During Christmas, many families are physically together, yet immersed in their phone screens. And others don’t even manage that. They just send a video or voice message and that's it. Social media, entirely illusory, paints a picture of Christmas happiness that doesn’t align with reality. In real life, many face loneliness or family crises. They are lost in their problems, and fewer and fewer people have the empathy to extend a hand. The promise of care and attention during Christmas has become false, unless you have a lot of money. Relatives and friends will always smile at you.

Reflecting on what can be done to make Christmas better fit today’s reality is necessary and urgent. Perhaps it is time to redefine this date, going beyond the emphasis on consumerism and returning to its roots of compassion and solidarity.

Open the mind and heart to the idea that Christmas can be all year long, if you know how to position yourself in society. There's no need to wait for another date created to sell the illusion of happiness and fill stores to maintain consumption. This doesn’t mean you have to abandon traditions like exchanging gifts, but rather rethink how we can make them more sustainable and inclusive.

Why not encourage the donation of experiences or the sharing of time with those who need it most? Why not listen to the pain of others and try to minimize it? This false idea, propagated by the system and supported by religions—which are very important in keeping people enslaved—is a lie!

There is no group of people that is more important than another. There is no group, from anywhere, of any culture, that deserves the pain and suffering of going through war, genocide, or hardship just because the small group that has always dominated, because they started all of this, wants you to believe in this lie. This group, a very small one, does NOT care about your life or your family’s. They only want to take as much as they can from everyone.

Another important point is the relationship between Christmas and sustainability. In a world where environmental crises are becoming more urgent, it is crucial to rethink the excesses that often accompany these celebrations.

Have you stopped to think about the excessive consumption of electricity in the lights, the food waste, and the mountains of trash generated by packaging? Have you thought about the way we celebrate Christmas and how this has a significant impact on the planet? Have you thought about how many people are abandoned on the streets, without food or shelter from the elements? No! It's hard, I know.

I too was once a slave to the system. But now I'm awake, and they don’t want that. You can adopt more eco-friendly practices and help preserve the environment, but you can also inspire deeper reflections about the true meaning of the holiday. Every action you take to improve things for EVERYONE will never be small.

I have a lot to say about this, but I don't want to take away your goodwill in celebrating Christmas. It can be part of our lives, no problem, as long as there is a proper relationship with the current reality and as long as as many people as possible can also have their own Christmas. You don't need to remove Christmas from your life; it doesn't have to disappear to align with the modern world. Let this be a time of change for you. For the better! For everyone! May it be a time to strengthen empathy in a polarized world. Let Christmas be inside you and spread outside your home, infecting everyone.

Christmas doesn't need to reflect the contradictions of the world; it can be an opportunity to transform them, even on a small scale. It depends on each of us to take this moment of togetherness and start embracing the idea of sharing the burdens of others so that they don't become our own as well.

Instead of a holiday centered on the past, Christmas can be a bridge to the future – a future where love, solidarity, and humanity are the true gifts we share. It all depends on each of us.

And a final message I leave as a reflection: If you don’t do the right thing out of empathy for others, then do it out of selfishness. Consider that someone else’s pain might one day be your own. How would you want to be treated when the pain is yours?

Christmas no longer represents anything to me. It’s just another day. However, I try to be empathetic toward others because I see the reality of the current world and how society is in decline. No religion or government will save you. Not even your God! Either you care for others, as Jesus taught, or soon you’ll find yourself in their place.

Merry Christmas! And may it last all year long!

Leave your comment—I’d love to hear your thoughts! Don’t forget to leave a like. In 2025, I’ll be sharing many more texts to connect and reflect with you all.