EDITORIAL – Have a happy Christmas. And give thanks.

A Social Weather Stations survey says seven out of every 10 Filipinos expect to have a happy Christmas this year. Amen, we say to that. For while, as Bob Dylan says in a song, "you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows," it feels nice to be told more of us now have better expectations than before of what is supposed to be "the most wonderful time of the year," as yet another song suggests.

Not only is seven out of 10 clearly on the plus side, but the seven is the first time in 10 years that it signifies an improvement. For 10 years before this latest survey, the number of Filipinos who expected to have a happy Christmas stood at six out of 10. Now, that may still be on the positive side. But that is just a tad over even. In fact, to statisticians, that would roughly be about dead even, in which case the bleakness tended to overpower the happiness.

And remember that it stayed that way for 10 years. So while the improvement from six out of 10 to seven out of 10 may indeed be slight, that is still a significant pull away from dead even. Dead even, in the context of Christmas and happiness, is not knowing whether to be happy or not. And that is a bad thing for Christmas.

Christmas should always be happy. And in order for it to be so, Christmas must be taken in the context of its real meaning, which ought not to be lost in a Christian country like ours. Christians should not make the mistake of understanding Christmas in the context of material abundance alone. Make a mistake like that and you will always be unhappy. Because material things always have a tendency to be in short supply, one way or the other.

Those who have little or think they have none at all can always take comfort in the gift of life that they still have, and the assurance of opportunities that comes with it. To have life is to have hope. To have hope is to keep the faith. To keep the faith enables the ability to love. The ability to love engenders the capacity to be happy. To be happy is to feel good about one's self. To feel good about one's self is the key to respecting others. Respecting others brings peace.

And what can be so dreadful about that? So, to be flat for 10 years and then suddenly to perk up at seven out of 10 expecting to be happy is like putting on the Christmas lights for the first time. It never fails to delight the heart, this bringing on the wide variety of colors in the lights. It is always an experience to cherish, to be in the presence of lights, than to stay in the shadows, in the fringes of darkness.

Let us be thankful for this improvement toward happiness. For whatever reason that more Filipinos now expect a happy Christmas than for the past 10 years is of no moment for us. We do not wish to know whatever makes you happy. What is important is that you are. May you, therefore, be happy as you deserve, not just for this Christmas, but for most of your days. But give thanks for the happiness, especially to God, from whom so much is asked and so little is given.