By Dr Isaac Newton

‘’More, more please,’ was her plea, as I tossed her high in mid-air. She laughed heartily. Even as a toddler, my sister’s daughter, Nikko Moses, sees life quite differently from most of us -- why settle for a little fun, when you can have plenty of it.

Dr Isaac Newton is an international leadership and change management consultant and political adviser who specialises in government and business relations, and sustainable development projects. Dr Newton works extensively in West Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America, and is a graduate of Oakwood College, Harvard, Princeton and Columbia. He has published several books on personal development and written many articles on economics, leadership, political, social, and faith-based issues

While interacting after a thanksgiving service, I overheard these words: “Maybe you are too prideful to consider that you are prideful.” The young man being addressed, stout for his age, with heavy limbs and large fingers, walked away with shock plastered all over his face.

But that young lady’s voice -- a reservoir of courage and truth -- must have echoed from the summit of his wonder to the valley of his worry. Like all ideas that creep up in reflection, it dawned on me that loving people heal people.

Each of these experiences interrupted the passing of 2009 with lessons that won’t go away. My niece taught me that it is better to seek abundant happiness than less joy. That beautiful young lady showed me that sincere outpouring, surrenders deep insights that penetrate.

This year, disappeared between paradise and hell. Scandalous memories and bitter sufferings occurred around dramatic changes in the market, the environment and the cry for peace. For many, the shift from joyful pessimism to biting optimism resulted in trading sadness.

Just think. Has 2009 bullied you? Were there moments of sheer terror? Could it be that you did not pour out your trials into testimonies of resurrection? I failed to parade my blessings as a trophy of gratitude. I was too busy trying to navigate the storms that I did not appreciate the fresh supply of love that came from family and friends.

But without explanation, sometime in early October, thoughts of ‘Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,’ crossed my mind. The more I reflected, the more I became convinced that perhaps Rudolph’s dilemma is our experience. Perhaps like us, Rudolph’s life was barren because it was plagued with the side effects of mockery and the madness of insecurity.

Too many of us still permit our economic status to define our dignity. How many times have we allowed, the hammering voices of others to make us feel tragically worthless? The story of ‘Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer’ demonstrates that to be obsessed with our brokenness is to miss the essence of living. It is as if we remember what does not matter, to forget what truly matter. Rudolph discovered that there were many things he could not have and didn’t need.

But Rudolph’s radical turnaround from red-nosed shame to cheering stardom points symbolically, to the celebration of the Christ child in the manger. In this sense, Christmas declares that God abounds in the gift of giving.

The Christ child, like Santa Claus, comes so that we can discover our real worth and true identity. For Rudolph, the capacity to overcome inner scars is therapeutic. For us, Christmas is an oasis of peace, a garden of goodwill, and a teaspoon of spiritual medicine.

We may be poorer than we ever were. The dread of days and the fears of nights may creep up upon us. Guilt may point its bony finger of condemnation and we may feel forever doomed by loneliness and jealousy.

The good news of great joy is that the Christ child grew up and became our Saviour. See through the manger into the empty tomb. Do more. Look beyond the cruel cross to the risen Lord. Let Christmas declare once more, that God is with us to bring our lives purpose and joy.

How miraculous that Rudolph’s red nose, once a point of pain, with the advent of Santa Claus, became a posture of celebration and usefulness. I suspect we suffer from a kind of Rudolph syndrome, when our talents function as volcanoes or waterfalls, depending on whether we are laughed at by other reindeers or embraced by Santa Claus.

Seen through the lens of the story of the Christ child, Rudolph’s experience inflates our lives with hopefulness and vigor. It signals that fundamental change is possible -- we can step away from extravagance into intimacy. We are healthy ambassadors of love, in the presence of the Christ child. And like Rudolph, we can make history.

Embodied in Christmas, the Red-nosed Reindeer’s story dramatises that our personal misfortunes, national infightings, and regional challenges can be overcome. The blight of our red-noses is but a transition from solitude to solidarity.

Applied to the Caribbean, the story of Rudolph suggests that our development must come from within. We must learn to value our cultural, human and natural resources. Perhaps in the transformational ethos of Christmas, where the generosity of love abounds, we may realise that our red-noses, which represents national and regional turmoil, point to the splendour beyond.

How beautiful is the Caribbean’s natural inheritance; how precious is the resilience of our people; how sacred our belief in God. While enjoying the festivities, the spirit of Christmas could refresh us. It could push us to improve inter-island relations and strategic agreements with global partners.

Let it not be said, that we are too prideful to defect our pride or too coward to reach for much more than what is. Turning our red-noses into great causes for the Caribbean is one way to celebrate Christmas. We can respond to the hopes of 2010. But we must cross the bridge from 2009 to 2010 inspired by lessons from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Let’s think of what is yet to be achieved -- prosperity for all, the preservation of our natural habitat and the affirmation of the worth and genius of our own people.

If you have God’s breath in your body and your heart is beating, you still have a lot of good to do. With miracle, compassion and mystery wrapped in one package, may all that is happy about Christmas and healthy about the New Year be entrusted to you!