Editorial: Spiritual or commercial: it's your call

Christmas is what you make it.

"Aren't we forgetting the true meaning of Christmas? You know, the birth of Santa." - Bart Simpson.

Less than a day after catching this line from the sitcom repeat I fielded a call on the newsdesk from a local pensioner lamenting a "lack of Christmas" in the region.

The CBDs of the twin cities were, she said, commercial and little else, bereft of the "real Christmas".

It wouldn't be December without the annual donnybrook over the 25th's true meaning.

The sentiment took me back to a talk by Sir Graham Henry at a charity function in Hastings last week. During his enlightening address the former All Blacks coach retold, I suspect with a little embellishment, how as the 1999 coach of Wales he prayed to the country's patron saint, St David, ahead of the Welsh clash with England at Wembley Stadium.

Ten days out from the game he visited the saint's burial place at St David's Cathedral and asked for divine intervention. Later at the stadium, trailing England 25-31 with seven minutes on the clock, he looked to the skies and informed St David he had only minutes to make his mark. Subsequently the Welsh scored a converted try to win 32-31.

Arise Welsh rugby's "Great Redeemer".

He finished the story with a sentiment no one was expecting, claiming most punters were unaware of the "huge spiritual influence" in international rugby.

The take home message for the naysayers looking for Christmas' own Great Redeemer is - you're looking too hard.

This, like all silly seasons, is as commercial as you make it.

If Sir Ted can find something spiritual in a sweaty 30-strong Anglo-Celtic stoush at Wembley Stadium, then there's mileage in Christmas yet.