This has not been a good year for celebrations. The brutal wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and the Maui wildfire tragedy at home, have cast deep shadows over the public consciousness.
Even as we celebrate this Christmas Day — opening gifts, going to church, preparing favorite holiday foods and feasting with family and friends — we must make room in our hearts for those who are struggling today.
Surely our neighbors in Lahaina and Kula never imagined that their Christmas would be spent in hotel rooms because their homes were destroyed. And while there has been an outpouring of financial and other support flowing into Maui, it won’t restore what money can’t buy: the normal, simple joy of the holidays, built on tradition and memories.
While everyone celebrates Christmas in their own way (and some not at all), it can be useful to remember the origins of the Christian holiday, a commemoration of the birth of Jesus.
This holiday dates back to the fourth century, and did not resemble the elaborate customs and pageantry of today. The traditional narrative from the Gospel of Luke, celebrated the world over, describes a humble family on the edge of hardship: the Savior born in a stable and placed in a trough used to feed animals because there was no other place for his parents to go.
But while the holiday has grown into a glittering spectacle of lights, decorations and Santa Claus, for Christians, the fundamental meaning of Christmas remains rooted in humility and grace, a quiet beginning that turned into a worldwide movement based on the power of love.
That the world hasn’t lived up to the promise of Christmas remains painfully obvious, throughout history and in the here and now. The wars in Ukraine and Gaza rage on, with no end in sight. Our national politics has been poisoned by partisan divisions so profound that serious analysts foresee the collapse of American democracy. Bad news is everywhere, but where is the love?
All around us, actually. And regardless of one’s faith, or lack thereof, the Christmas season is when many of us tap into the power of love and draw strength from it. Through gifts and gatherings, we draw our family, friends, neighbors and colleagues closer. We also extend love to those we don’t know, through food drives and holiday donations. And we can make that love grow.
On Maui, there is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to give Luke’s gospel narrative a new ending. Thousands of displaced residents are learning there will soon be no more room at the inn (in this case, hotels), and must leave them.
Rather than turn them out into the street, the island’s short-term rental (STR) properties, already primed to house people far from home, should take them in. The government is offering tens of thousands of dollars to the owners of 13,000 STRs to encourage them to make their properties available for a limited time.
Some have resisted, for reasons of their own. Gov. Josh Green said several owners told him “they don’t want to rent to local people.” He added, “That made me very angry.”
While anger is understandable in this case, channeling it toward positive outcomes is the goal. Better to win hearts and minds through persuasion and incentives than to impose a moratorium, as Green threatened to do. Better to win through voluntary cooperation than through lengthy, expensive litigation that will be divisive and may prove futile.
It’s hoped that kindness and generosity, in full flower this time of year, will put 3,000 Maui families in stable housing for the longer term. Then perhaps they will have time to rebuild their lives and return to the normal, simple joy of Christmas in 2024.
May you and yours have a wonderful Christmas, filled with love.
