don't stop the music

월요일, 11월 07, 2005

i am suffering from pre-christmas anxiety, and all because of woolworths.

was walking around aimlessly in town today with faz, and out of the corner of my eye, something bright and red snagged my attention, but only for a smidgen of a second. it screamed 'magical prices worth celebrating!', and right from where i was standing i could just see the shelves and shelves of toys, christmas decorations and sweets that make the holiday of christmas all that more appealing.

now, i've been there before and i knew without even going in there that once i set foot in that store all i would see were gargantuan towers of commercial child-spoilers (aka toys) and plastic 'snow'-encrusted ornaments, all the better to Spread Good Cheer. i must sound like the Grinch right now, but i love christmas as much as the next person, really, i do. what i don't like is the fact that so many people just buy into the materialism, just because.

that, and the fact that the minute you step into any store, from the time the first chill begins to blow, you'll realise that the colours red, green and gold figure chiefly in most store displays (uncanny that) and reindeers and strange bearded men with red garments seem to be the mascots of choice.

fa la la la la, la la, la la indeed.

i know it's great to be prepared early and never do your christmas shopping at the last minute, because you'll end up buying loads of silly things that are overpriced and undernice, but this level of kiasu*-ness is mind-boggling. i mean, christmas lights and gearing up for presents in october? as a certain lecturer would say, it probably would be retailers homing in on a cultural perception of value, where retailers seek to maximise the profits taken in by the christmas rush, even before the thought of christmas has even crossed our minds. listen, there are no imaginary sleigh-bells hearkening us to 'go! get your presents before it's too late!', it's the subtle conditioning that retailers use to ensure that we keep buying their products, year after year.
*literally translates as being scared to lose out.

of course, i only had to walk further down the road to see every other mother carrying huge boxes of toys and various chrismassy paraphernalia. yeesh, you people make me feel like i'm lagging very, very behind. in fact, i never even got to thinking about christmas presents until today, yes, after the visual accosting.

but at the end of the day, i guess i love everything about christmas, and yes, that would include the kerrazy shopping habits that society has developed over the years, and i guess that may even (god forbid) contribute to the whole spirit of christmas. i just think that sometimes it's so easy to overlook the true meaning of christmas: to celebrate a Lord who loved the world so much that He sent His only Son to die for us, so that we all might live. instead, so many get swallowed up by the consumerism going on.

as the christmas season draws near, take a moment to sit down and look around. look to the needy and sick, the people who can't have a happy christmas, and count your blessings, instead of asking for the newest gadget on the market, or another diamond to add to your collection, 'cuz i guess when you remember them, you remember Him and His ultimate sacrifice.