Serendipity
Spread the love
Here we go again. The season of giving and receiving or should I say, the season when everyone is pressured to give and to receive (as if not giving or getting anything at this time of the year is a sign of one's unpopularity or over-all scrooge-ness). I don't know if it's just me and the fact that I have made a profession out of ranting and raving, but it seems that Christmas is less "felt" this year than the previous years (or maybe I'm just more broke this year?). There seems to be a kind of strange ennui, like an epidemic of weariness that has afflicted most of us in this city. Heck, even commercialism has surprisingly taken a backseat this season with less holiday frou-frou seen in the malls. (However, you could choose to discount the previous statement considering that I haven't been in any of the malls since Halloween.)
As proof that I am really feeling "out of sorts" this holiday season, it's Christmas eve a few days from now but I still haven't bought any gifts for anyone, including my kids (bad mommy!). So if any one of my friends or relatives is reading this, don't expect any gifts from me this year (as if last year was any different). But kidding aside, I think that with all the razzle-dazzle associated with Christmas, we've all become jaded and wary of the whole shebang. And, with all the commercialism pushed down our throats especially in these hard times, it's enough to make anyone gag and go gaga.
I think that Christmas has lost its luster and true meaning. With all the gift-giving, shopping and partying, we have somehow forgotten what we really are celebrating -- and that is the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. And so, with all the triteness (as well as trueness) of that previous sentence, I think that we should all try to come up with fresh and inspiring ways to bring back the sparkle of the season for ourselves and for our loved ones.
In these difficult and tumultuous times, when the price of a few liters of gas is higher than my normal blood pressure and when our lawmakers are making a Con-Ass of themselves, I think that we should think twice about spending too much this Christmas. I'm not saying we'll all become Ebenezer Scrooges, but we should at least tighten our belts and save some of our hard earned money for the New Year.
This Christmas, it's time we go back to the basics, make things simpler but more significant. How? Maybe we can just spend quality time with our family this year instead of piling the gifts (although that would be nice). Maybe we can stop being so angry and harassed for a change (ahem, I'm doing that now in spite of my Iloilo yearbook deadline) and just breath in the positive vibe instead of the negative (which means, steer clear of your enemies!). Or maybe, we can junk that loooong Christmas gift list, avoid the unnecessary stress of endless shopping, and just relax, pop the champagne, put our feet up and shout, "cheers!"
But how (and how much) you will spend Christmas this year is really up to you. The important thing is, we should all try to make it special and significant. As for me, I have a few bright ideas up my sleeve to make it memorable especially for my kids. And, to all my family and friends, I may not spread the gifts this year, but hey, I'm spreading huge doses of L-O-V-E instead!
To my husband Brendan and my kids, Zach and Ripley, my family, friends, colleagues and to all you TNT and Serendipity readers, have a great and meaningful Christmas! Spread the love, people!