THE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS
By Jossalberto Briceno Saenz
If you were to ask me which Christmas I prefer—the one in Mexico or the one
in China—I couldn’t give you an answer so easily. To explain, I must first
provide some context.
As the world prepares to celebrate Christmas once again, I find myself
reminiscing about my time studying in China and my earlier years in Mexico.
During my tenure at Fudan University in Shanghai, I had the unique experience
of playing Santa Claus every year. The school would provide me with a Santa
suit, and I would deliver gifts to faculty members and other attendees at the
university’s Christmas party. These parties were vibrant, with students
performing dances, plays, or singing traditional songs from various countries.
The feast was just as diverse, featuring everything from traditional Chinese
dumplings to Japanese, Korean, Thai, and other international dishes.
One day as Santa Claus, however, was not enough for me. I would request to
keep the suit longer, and for several days each year, you could see me walking
around Shanghai dressed as Santa. There I was, a Mexican Santa Claus amidst
statues of Mao Zedong, studying in university libraries, strolling along the
Bund (Waitan) by the Huangpu River, and wandering through places like the Yu
Garden, the underground markets beneath the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, and
finally ending my walks on Nanjing Lu. Interestingly, "lu" means
"street" in Chinese, yet many still redundantly call it
"Nanjinglu Street."
On the other side of the Pacific, we find Mexico—specifically the Mexico of
2001. I mention this time period because I am not sure if the Mexico I once
knew remains the same, but I’ll let you decide by the end of this article. Back
then, I attended my communication sciences classes at La Salle Benavente
University in Celaya, Guanajuato. Truth be told, I often dreaded these classes.
Many of my classmates smoked, and during the cold winter months, they would
shut the windows and doors, filling the room with suffocating smoke.
Despite my obvious discomfort, no one ever paused to consider that we all
shared the same air. Even the few non-smoking students said nothing. It seemed
that no one reflected on the fact that we all had the same right to breathe
clean air.
To make matters worse, our program director, who occasionally taught classes
himself, would smoke during his lectures. He would even place his pack of
cigarettes on my desk and say, "You’re the only one missing. Come on,
just take one and smoke—it’s easier this way."
Enduring such callous behavior made me question the values of these
individuals. Were these the future representatives of Mexico in media,
international relations, and politics? Would they someday hold important
positions in government? If so, what would happen to the ethical standards of
our society?
In my view, no matter the job you hold, you must never lose the humanity
that allows you to be empathetic toward those who are neither family nor close
friends. To me, that is the true meaning of Christmas. From Alf’s Special
Christmas to A Charlie Brown Christmas, Scrooged, Miracle
on 34th Street, and even Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, the
lesson is clear: Christmas is about caring for and understanding people beyond
your usual circle. Unfortunately, in Mexico, those messages often aren’t
enough.
Today, we see university students and professionals, like those I described
earlier, who lack the ability to win or lose gracefully. They gossip, undermine
others, and engage in destructive behaviors. This points to a broader failure
in ethical and moral education—something that can no longer be remedied by a
handful of holiday movies. What Mexico truly needs are robust ethics and civics
classes integrated into the education system, which were tragically removed in
2000 by former President Vicente Fox.
Fox’s decision to eliminate these classes from school curricula was a
disservice to the nation, leaving generations without a formal foundation in
morality or civic responsibility.
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