It’s the eve of Christmas Eve. There’s a lot of hustle and bustle, as some presents still have to be wrapped, the delicacies prepared, and the Christmas table decorated for the big festivities that welcome the immediate family home. It’s the day when the joy of the Birth of Jesus blurs with the sadness of not having the departed parents at the table. Still, they are certainly always in the hearts and minds of those who get together, remembering past moments, some happy, others not so happy, but all typical of a family Christmas experience that brings generations together and is made by generations. It’s a time when there’s no shortage of bright and colorful decorations, including the red and gold colors of the Christmas tree, the nativity scene with the traditional figures of Saint Joseph, Our Lady, and the Child Jesus, as well as the Magi and the guiding star that announces the preparation for the arrival of the Child. More recently, Santa Claus has also joined in, delighting the little ones, who naively believe in the old man with the beard. We were once like that, and we all remember the disappointment of discovering that it was all men’s work. However, memories remain of the smells, which were once peculiar and closely linked to nature. Houses adorned with cedars and other decorated branches. In the living room, there was always an air of flowers, and on the dining table, a fruit bowl with the king of fruits, the pineapple, and next to it, the famous mandarins and tangerines, with special emphasis on the pineapples. It was a cross between the smells and tastes of nature that dictated the season. Memorable times tucked away in our minds that come back every year to nostalgically give us a few moments of company. They are hidden memories, to be sure, but they are lethargically soaked in nostalgia.

It’s the time of the Christmas celebrations when Christianity and consumerism come together. And while for many, it’s a time of festivities, magic, celebration, and gifts, we mustn’t forget the many people whose lives are turned into pain, disappointment, and sadness. The bountiful table of some contrasts with the lack of everything on the table of so many fellow countrymen and millions worldwide. While it is true that we celebrate birth, we mustn’t forget the millions who mourn death as a result of the bloodthirsty war caused by greedy and evil men who eat honey, leaving their people, their fellow human beings, to die. There is no peace in so many territories, yet millions of people welcome the faith of the Birth into their hearts. You can’t explain it; you feel it.

It’s the gift of feeling that calls for solidarity, which isn’t just happening now, but at this time, it heightens our will and makes us think another dimension. It shouldn’t be like this, we know, but we also know that this time nourished by feelings gives us the extra power to want to be better, better than we were,e and better than we thought we would be one day. It’s a time to take advantage of giving a little of ourselves and providing value to others.
For us, this is also a time of memories and cold days. Of the times when the family went from house to house, on foot, when they were close together.
– We’re talking about 2 to 3 kilometers – to the famous pee-wee, by car only when the homes were far apart. Savings and sustainability, even if the word didn’t exist in the family vocabulary. No one complained about the walks, rain or no rain, on nights of good cheer, Christmas carols, lots of traditional delicacies and, for the older ones, lots of homemade liqueurs of various types and flavors. The conversation arose from multiple sides, crossing between different families. The children played and eagerly waited for the time to receive their presents. Every house had one for every boy or girl. Tearing the paper was magical; you could hear, and discovering the inside was pure happiness that lasted for months. We don’t know what has changed or how. Today, you tear a piece of paper with the veracity of a shooting star, and the happiness only lasts for a few minutes, sometimes not even that. It’s an instantaneous record that even cell phones with fast cameras can’t catch. Everything is ephemeral, just as life is ephemeral, so the moment of birth has to be special, materialized in faith, in the faith that feeds our soul and projects our feelings. Here’s to life!
Happy holidays and a Merry Christmas.

Nélia Câmara is a distinguished journalist for the Correio dos Açores and Atlântico Expresso newspapers published in the Azores.

(editor’s note)–because we are still in the holiday season and because the spirit of Christmas in the Azores continues until Epiphany Sunday (Domingo dos Reis), Filamentos will continue to publish, in translation, some works published this holiday season in the Azorean press, to show all of those in the diaspora de creative spirit of those wonderful islands.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks the Luso-American Education Foundation for sponsoring FILAMENTOS.