LAS LENGUAS INGLESA Y ESPAÑOLA de Delfín Carbonell

  This being the Season to be Jolly, Christmas, in celebration of the nativity of Jesus Christ, let me jot down some phraseology in Spanish with the name  Cristo : Armar un Cristo (lio, escándalo) Kick up a fuss, raise hell, raise cain Tu padre va a armar un Cristo, ya verás Your father is going to kick up a fuss, you’ll see — “… muy capaz de armar un escándalo en público.” José Donoso, Donde van a morir los elefantes , 1995. Chile. Cristo bendito Goodness gracious Cristo bendito, ¿qué te ha pasado? Goodness gracious, what’s happened to you? — “Cristo bendito, dijo.” Arturo Pérez-Reverte, La reina del sur , 2002. Esp. Donde Cristo dio las tres voces (perdio el gorro) Out in the sticks, in the back of beyond, in the middle of nowhere David ahora vive lejos, donde Cristo dio las tres voces David now lives far away, out in the sticks — “Un día fue conducido a picar unas rocas, aborrecidas, cerca de la raya de Francia: no sólo estaban donde Cristo dio las tres voces, sino que....

Unfortunately, I am not a religious believer. I wish I were. But I was not touched with the blessing—or the blindness—of belief. And yet I proclaim myself a cultural Christian, a cultural Catholic, someone who belongs to and feels at home in the Western Christian tradition and civilization. I respect, and even admire, those who believe in the beyond, in miracles, in saints and resurrection. I simply cannot—and I will never question it or argue about it. Belief is not something one chooses or debates into existence. I repeat: I am part of the Christian tradition. I feel comfortable in it. I enjoy Christmas carols and villancicos , Nativity scenes, belenes ,  and Christmas trees, the merriment of lights and singing, the exchanging of gifts, the Magi— los Reyes Magos —and that much-invoked peace and fraternity of the season. And that is why I am writing this: to wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS - FELICES PASCUAS DE NAVIDAD - 2025

Like Alain de Botton , I am a cultural Christian. Although skeptical about many of its tenets, I love all the paraphernalia associated  with religion. After all, we could not understand Western civilization today without Christianity. Our heritage is Christian, whether we believe in God or Christ or not. And so, let me wish all my readers, believers and unbelievers, Happy Holidays, a Merry Christmas, and a Prosperous and Healthy New Year, 2025. Thank you for reading my little entries!