Call me the Pro-Black militant Grinch or the Ebony Ebenezer Scrooge, but I detest this time of year. This is the time of year that the whole world turns lily white and those that aren’t white wish they were. White Jesus, white Santa, white elves! What’s an Afrocentric brotha to do; pour myself a cup of eggnog and go off singing “I'm dreamin’ of a white Christmas?”
-- Min. Paul Scott

The minister makes a great point, albeit a bit cynical. But where do we African Americans find ourselves during this holiday season?

For starters, we find ourselves in the same places we do during the rest of the year – visibly absent from the mainstream of American life. Nary a commercial, a television show, or movie is about our lives. Okay, a few, but wouldn’t it be nice to see something all the time that has to do with us? If you didn’t know better, you’d think everybody in America was white!

But that’s not a bad thing. To be missing from the dumb stuff is good. To not be caught up in the tabloids, that’s good. To not have our laundry aired on national television, that’s even better. But to be overlooked and disregarded during this blessed time of the year, well, that’s just not cool.

But although it’s not cool, it’s okay. What’s important to us, to all, at this time of year are the blessings in the season – the opportunities to spend time with family and friends, giving gifts from the heart, thinking about a new year to come. Even bigger than all that is the birthday of our Lord and Savior who, without Him, we’d all be living under an old covenant, absent of mercy and atonement for the stupid stuff we do, which is the stuff that shows up on television. What’s most important about this season is not missing. Jesus is the reason for the season.

So no matter how many “white” Christmas we see on television, hear on the radio, or see walking down the street, remember the season is greater than what you see or who you don’t see. The season is bigger than all that. His name is Jesus.
Sadiqqa © 2007