Opening Doorz
“Celebrating Life”
By Nex Scriba |Opening Doorz Editorial | December 21, 2025 “Santa didn’t steal Christmas. We handed it over gently, year after year, until we forgot what we were giving away.” […]
By Nex Scriba |Opening Doorz Editorial | December 21, 2025
"Santa didn’t steal Christmas. We handed it over gently, year after year, until we forgot what we were giving away."
I remember when Christmas came softly. One sensed it in the air before one saw it anywhere else. I remember the time when Christmas didn’t announce itself. It arrived.
Now it bursts in, even before Advent has had a chance to clear its throat.
First, there was Santa Claus. Jolly, harmless, friendly. He made children smile, and adults nostalgic. We let him in because he felt warm and familiar. Somewhere along the way, though, he stopped being a guest and became the host. The meaning of Christmas was slowly being knocked away from our collective consciousness.
Then came Secret Santa. A smarter move even before we could say Ho! Ho! Ho! He came dressed in good intentions. No excess, no obvious greed. Just a name in a bowl, a fixed budget, and the promise of surprise. It felt harmless and wholesome. And that’s how it settled in so comfortably.
I don’t remember anyone deciding this. It just happened. True, Secret Santa is about giving, and giving is good. There’s no denying that. But I find myself wondering, when did all this become the point? When did Christmas become something we organise rather than something that changes us? As we rush to meet our holiday obligations, can we pause to acknowledge the inner restlessness that may linger under the surface of our efficient giving, asking ourselves whether we have truly embraced the silence and reflection that the season invites?
The birth of Jesus, the real reason for Christmas, wasn’t neat. There were no budgets, no lists, no wrapping paper. Just a young woman saying yes to faith over fear, a man choosing faith over logic, and a God who arrived without asking for space. That reality gets lost now, in questions like, “Who did you get?” and “What should I buy?” Secret Santa, for all its goodness, often keeps us so busy that we forget to be still.
But Christmas was never meant to be completed; that’s the part we forget. Fr. Peter Gonsalves’ Christmas Album (1997), “Everyday It’s Christmas,” has the essence right. Because if Christmas ends when the decorations come down, then it wasn’t Christmas at all. It was a brief emotional high.
Christmas only makes sense if it lingers. If the God who came to dwell among us actually finds a place to stay.
Today, many Catholics know the rituals of gift-giving better than the rhythm of prayer. We celebrate the season without letting it touch our lives beyond the day. We become immersed in the gift and forget the Giver.
So what do we do with Secret Santa? Maybe we don’t need to get rid of it. What if drawing a name wasn’t the first step? What if it began with a moment of prayer? Just a quiet asking for the grace to see the person behind the name?
What if the gift wasn’t impressive, but intentional? Something that says, “I thought of you,” rather than “I stayed within budget.”
What if, along with the gift within the budget, you include a handwritten note or a small “journal” of the days you prayed for them and the specific blessings you asked for, with a scripture passage. Or a note that says how much that person means to you and what it is about them that you find inspiring.
What if, instead of just buying a mug or a candle, you make your Secret Santa assignment a month-long commitment to prayer? Every day, spend five minutes praying specifically for the person you drew.
What if families paused before opening gifts, even briefly, and remembered that this night began in poverty, not abundance? And if families have no gifts beneath the tree, it’s OK. Neither did God have a hospital room to be delivered by a nurse.
What if children were taught to wait again? To understand that longing is part of faith, and not everything arrives instantly! These are gifts that will last forever and warm our hearts when we think back.
God chose to enter the world through a feast of angels and astonished shepherds. But He did not come to compete with our noise. He came to invite us into His stillness.
Santa didn’t steal Christmas. We handed it over gently, year after year, until we forgot what we were giving away.
“Christmas was never meant to be completed. It was meant to be lived.”
[Through thought-provoking narratives, Nexa Scriba explores the realities of our society, urging reflection and action.]
Also Read: The day my Santa bubble burst
Also Read: Everyday It’s Christmas: The Quiet Gospel in a Minor Key
