TRUTH BE TOLD

CHRISTMAS MESSAGES TELL THE STORIES OF OUR TIMES

What do Christmas messages mean to us? We listen to listen to them with a sense of hope. Image credit: NEWS CANADA.

By DR VICKI BISMILLA

 King Charles is Canada’s head of state, the prime minister is our head of government.

In 1952 Queen Elizabeth referred to the Commonwealth as an “immense union of nations, like a family which can be a great power for good”. In 1953, she spoke of the Commonwealth as a “fellowship” in which Britain is an equal partner hinting that the colonial relationship of master and minion no longer applied.

In 1957, she spoke of the ideals of religion, morality, honesty and the courage to stand up for “what is right, true and honest”. But some indigenous people were still subjugated as in Canada’s residential schools.

In 1964, when Nelson Mandela was jailed by the racist South African regime, she spoke of the need to stand up for justice. But Britain continued to ignore Mandela’s suffering and the oppression of non-whites. Nehru died that year and as India’s first leader after the country shed British shackles, condolences were included.

In 1966, the Queen, as a woman leading much of the free world, ironically stressed the important role of women in society. In 1968 she spoke of brotherhood, about Martin Luther King’s assassination while racism raged in the USA.

In the 1970s she acknowledged the strife in Northern Ireland and the famine in Bangladesh. Her 1975 speech was filmed in lush Buckingham gardens while she spoke of record inflation and unemployment in the UK (while British taxpayers wealthy or not paid to keep the royal family’s table laden.)

In the 80s the Queen spoke of meeting Prime Minister Indira Gandhi; her investiture of Mother Teresa into her Order of Merit; the importance of children; the bombing of the Air India flight; and the Lockerbie air disaster.

The decade of 1990s saw the tragic passing of Princess Diana. The Queen spoke of Britain’s return of Hong Kong to China; the devolution of power to Scotland and Wales and the importance of their remaining as part of the UK.

Her speech in the year 2000 was the last to a world that would, nine months later, be plunged into the horrific 9/11 terrorist attacks and the start of extreme terrorism. Her 2001 Christmas speech stressed faith in troubled times. In 2004 her speech remembered the Indian Ocean tsunami and the humanitarian work by people of all faiths.

The following decade, starting in 2010, hope and the importance of family were recurring themes in the queen’s speeches, and she turned inward to the importance of self-reflection as she celebrated her diamond jubilee and her 80th Christmas message. In a decade of many clashes around the world, she spoke of the selflessness of medical volunteers. She quoted Neil Armstrong’s words and said that its small steps that bring harmony, understanding and lasting change.

In 2020, her speech centred on how the pandemic forced us to stay apart but brought communities closer yearning for a hug. And in 2021, her last Christmas speech, Queen Elizabeth mourned her husband Prince Philip and commiserated with people for whom Christmas is a difficult time. She thanked her subjects for their love and affection.

She passed away in September 2022. King Charles, in his first Christmas speech in 2022, embraced multicultural faiths, mentioning synagogues, mosques and gurudwaras and the difficult time for people experiencing financial hardships. He commended charity workers, armed forces and emergency services. And in last year’s speech he emphasized his gratitude to volunteers and essential workers. His commitment to the environment was symbolized by the replanting of the living Christmas tree which was the backdrop to his speech.

As queen or king, one person has the privilege of delivering Christmas messages over many years. Our prime ministers though, only have a maximum of four years at a time.

Prime Minister Paul Martin’s message in 2005 (texts of Christmas messages are not available prior to 2000) talked about all faiths in Canada gathering in peace and harmony; climate change; Canadian armed forces fostering hope in troubled areas; partnerships with Aboriginal leaders; and hope for the future of Canada’s children.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper served from 2006 to 2015, and he emphasized Canada’s economic stability; its role in bringing relief to areas such as Haiti; our armed forces in Afghanistan; the importance of family and Canada’s peace in a troubled world. He said that our democracy allows us to work through differences in peaceful ways with the protection of laws.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, since 2015, has talked about Canada’s diversity; helping refugees escape strife; importance of volunteerism; our responsibility to help one another, saying it’s what this country is about. His annual messages have echoed themes of gratitude, compassion, kindness and hope and he thanked first responders and medical workers during the pandemic. 

So, what do these seventy years of Christmas messages mean to us? I believe that Christmas is a time when the hearts of millions soften and we look at family, friends and relatives with love and fondness and at strangers with the hope that a smile will be reciprocated. We listen to Christmas messages from state and government with hope.

There are also a few Christmas connotations that baffle us. In the 1990s when I was a school principal there was a movement among well-intentioned activists to remove the word Christmas from our December activities and replace it with the word “holiday” to be more inclusive they said. But why remove words? The goal of equity, diversity and inclusion should be to include not exclude. Rather than tear words away from children, why not include words like Diwali, Eid, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and teach the significance of First Nations ceremonies like sweat lodge rites and smudging?

Needless to say, this principal did not go with the flow that required the snatching away of Christmas from innocent children.

Dr Vicki Bismilla is a retired Superintendent of Schools and retired college Vice-President, Academic, and Chief Learning Officer. She has authored two books.