CHRISTmas?

so we're almost to that lovely day full of warmth and cheer and happiness and love etc etc etc.. no, not the anniversary of the day you lost your virginity.. I'm talking about Christmas. Celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Over the years I've realised I have a few issues with this time of the year though, and these issues/the realization have never been more apparent to me than this year.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm pro-celebration of Jesus' birth, so it's nothing to do with that occurrence. Rather it's the fact that people love to take advantage of this time of the year for whatever reason they can think of. And I'm not just talking about commercialism either. I'm grouping those who categorise this time of year as 'the season of giving' into it as well - those people who do all they can to get all the support and donations they can accommodate and give to the poor/charities/homeless etc. But wait foots, isn't that a GOOD thing? well yes, it is.. these people are so much less fortunate than most of us and need all the help they can get. My disagreement lies with the fact that these so-called good samaritans, these christmas-saints, these good-willing donaters do absolutely nothing for the rest of the year to help these less fortunate persons.

January - November these 'samritans' go about their lives as normal without any regard to the persons who will suddenly find so much help during December. Then parang hits the airwaves, decorations start to go up and lo and behold! it's time to consider the less fortunate. Here's a thought: perhaps if you considered the less fortunate throughout the whole year you wouldn't have to spend as much time, energy and funds at the end of the year to help them (because they'd be in a generally better position than on the average year).

Related to this incident is the people who use this 'season of giving' to ask for donations and help. They're in the malls, by the entrances and walking about inside. They're on the roadside, by the grocery.. I have mixed feelings on this. Yes I admit to this time of year being quite influential on the average person's will to give/donate and as such it only makes sense to use this to your advantage.. but this still doesn't sit quite right with me. You're taking advantage of the season. And yes what better way there is to celebrate the birth of our Lord and saviour than by giving to the poor etc.. but how am I to make sure my money is getting to the poor? and the fact is that most people do not think about Jesus when they give to these people asking for money. They're simply at the mercy of their environment and are thus coerced into giving. A lot of the time it's guilt as well. And this shouldn't be the case.

Then there are the beggars (I feel bad using this term btw) who suddenly come out at this time and sit by the door to groceries etc. What are these people doing the rest of the year? Where do they sit between the months of January and November? they prey upon your seasonal mood and guilt to give the hand-outs.. and for what? I'm not following them to find out so I don't know. What about the beggars who are on the roadside every month of the year asking for money/food etc? I'm thinking they should get preference at this time of the year. If I had the urge to give money to someone I've never seen sitting outside TruValue, I'd take whatever I was going to give him and give it to the tall man who walks the road to go back to the highway from UWI there, or the indian man who is there as well. Or one of the squeegie boys who, annoying as they may be, are still there the rest of the year and not only there when they think they'll have the most opportunity to get something.

There's an ad on the radio that plays on 94.1 *THE BOOM CHAMPIONS!!!* and really really annoys/irritates me every time I hear it. It's for sports and games and it's a song-ad with some guys singing to the tune of 'Jingle Bells' "Jingle Bells.. Christmas really stunk, I got nothing that I like, my gifts were all just junnnnk!" WTF?! you know why your Christmas stunk? because you're so focused on getting gifts that you forgot about the truth behind the season. And yes, I know this is an ad but still.. ughh.. that ad represents all that is now wrong with this time of the year.

And another thing: I understand that December 25th is the acceptable and recognized date for the recognition of the birth of Jesus, but why can't we celebrate this at other times during the year? why not have this in our hearts and minds the whole year through? I'd say my New Years' resolution would be to do that but then I'd be subscribing to another tradition that I have some faults with, so I'll just start from today.. and everyday be thankful for what Jesus did for me and thus for his birth.

apart from this I do love the season though. Ham, turkey, pastelles, sorrel... yummmmy! the warmth inside you get when you really feel the meaning of Christmas. The decorations, the lights, the parang, the festivity.. it's always nice to be festive. But we must not forget that without Christ we'd not have this in the first place.. so big up to THE 'man' J.C.!! *fist-to-chest thump*

so thus wraps up my Christmas blog.. well I might end up doing another before/right after so perhaps this won't be the only one. Til next time.. Christmastime! *mini christmas tree begins to get bigger* CHRISTMASTIME! *and bigger* CHRISTMASTIME!! HOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! *extends to full length and glows with coloured blinking lights and decorations*

^ if you don't get that reference then you're square man. (while the rest of us are shapeless masses of potential that can become anything we want)