The Golden Orange

Christmas is always seen as a special festival as it is believed that Christmas brought surprises every year.

A pleasant surprise is appreciated by one and all and this is the only festive that does not like to disappoint the most needy people. The Christmas today is celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm than compared to the yester years.

Few years back Christmas was not celebrated with fervor as they were very poor. Almost all the people were poor.

They were poor, in the sense that they did not have money to buy cakes or Christmas trees or to prepare puddings.

They had potatoes, carrots, a pickle barrel, dried apples and frozen beef. Though this food was in plenty, they never had anything in surplus to celebrate.

Christmas celebration does not call for expensive gifts or luxurious food. Christmas can be celebrated even with simple food and inexpensive things. But, all this should be accepted with great satisfaction.

There was a strange land that never had a growth of fruits. Children of this land were unaware of fruits.

An angel appeared on a Christmas eve and gave the children of that island orange.

These oranges resembled a golden ball, rather a small sun. Ancient legend believed that the angel dropped gold coins and these coins fell into stockings that were hanging on 25th December.

The later centuries viewed orange as an incarnation of Christmas. So even today, getting an orange in the stocking is considered as gold.

Children who had seen nothing more than oatmeal porridge, molasses on bread, fried potatoes and turnip scrapings found this orange as a great surprise. They never ate it as they did not wish to lose it.

Orange was seen as a marvel that was very valuable to be eaten and a wonderful gift with a sensuous wonder. They believed that once eaten they would lose the charisma of having it again.

So they did not mind having it in front of them. One woman slowly confessed that she hid her orange that she got on the Christmas day and would just take a look at the orange, fondle it, smell it and enjoy the pleasure of having it and touching it.

Eventually, one fine day this woman and the children had to eat the orange which they did gratefully and ceremoniously.

They ate the whole orange and wished for the next Christmas to come soon so that God would be kind enough to offer another orange.

This innocent thought of the child showered oranges on the universe that each one of us see it today and enjoy eating it. This shows that anything desired from the core of the heart is always blessed.