"It's the most wonderful season of all," a popular Christmas song goes. The arrival of December often heralds some celebration around the world. But for most residents in the Caribbean-American and African-American communities, it is the Christmas season, when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. But as a young girl asked her mother in a Christmas movie recently aired on cable-TV, "How come it's Jesus' birthday, but I hear everyone saying, "Merry Christmas," but no one saying, or singing, 'Happy Birthday, Jesus.'"

The Christmas holiday usually inspires the spirit of camaraderie. People who have been abrupt, discourteous, even downright mean to each other during the year attempt to be more cordial as Christmas Day approaches. Enemies seek forgiveness and co-workers who hardly know each other exchange gifts.

Some people see this comradeship as unreal, resisting what they see as the hypocrisy of the Christmas season. As if, like Cinderella's golden coach and charming prince, this tremendous "goodwill towards men" disappears at midnight. When the caroling, the warm greetings and glitter end, the Christian world reverts to reality – grumpy, critical, contentious, withdrawn, and most of all, financially spent.

"Grinches" of Christmas have for ages downplayed the significance of Christmas. They think that the holiday is nothing more than the handy politics of Constantine the Great, using the holiday to mix pagan norms with Christianity to bridge the divide between Roman pagans and Christian followers.

However, despite what history may determine, or what critics may claim, and even despite the grand anti-climax that hits the Christian world immediately after Christmas, when the true meaning of the season – the birth of a Messiah, a savior, whose mission was to rule the world through the display of peace, love, faith and hope – is taken into consideration, then the age-old question resurfaces, "Why, can't everyday be Christmas?"

If the excess materialism of the season were eliminated, there are crucial lessons to be learned from the Christmas season. The season offers a way of living that could make the lives of so many people more fulfilling.

The message of peace, love, and goodwill shouldn't just be applicable at Christmas. It wasn't Christmas when Paul the apostle encouraged the Corinthians in his letter (1 Corinthians 13:13) to, "now abideth faith, hope, charity; these three: but the greatest of these is charity." Several modern translations of this verse replaces the word "charity" with "love."

Paul's message is everlasting, beyond seasons, commanding Christians to be tolerant and charitable, regardless of the circumstances and sufferings they endure. Charity among neighbors, co-workers, political rivals, and between the 99 percent and the one percent shouldn't be treated as just a highlight of the Christmas season.

Why does the rush to help the poor, homeless, hungry, parent-less children, with food, clothing, money and toys occur only during the Christmas season? One anonymous individual in Pennsylvania dropped an extremely valuable gold coin in Salvation Army kettle last Friday. Why such generosity only then? Politicians who are bitter rivals can sometimes find agreement as Christmas approaches. Why only at Christmas?

The meaning of Christmas isn't surreal or temporary. The real meaning, if time is taken to get past the glitter, the wild shopping and the meaningless gifts, is this: anything is possible if people from all walks of life can live with each other in the spirit of goodwill for these few, precious days.

To our readers, we'll repeat this old greeting with earnest hope – "May the new year resonate with the true meaning of Christmas – peace, faith, hope and love, and, most of all, goodwill to all."