“Tis the season to be jolly… Falalalala Lalalala…”

That jingle was blasting where I was standing in queue for my much needed caffeine fix over the weekend. With sprigs of plastic holly and silk poinsettia bunches replete in the café, it was unmistakably Christmas season.

This is the season when many of my friends would gripe about the commercialisation of the holiday, and how stressful it was to be shopping for Christmas presents. One would complain about her colleague who spent an entire morning comparing the merits of a red and gold colour theme versus blue and silver for her Christmas tree. I know of a couple who would intentionally go on holidays every year so that they could be “far from the maddening crowd”. At least they’re consistent. They disappear every year during Christmas.

Of course I have my fair share of gripes about this season. (You didn’t honestly think I would be doing a zen thing here, did you?)

Let’s start with the mildest of them. Each year, as I jostling with the crowds and stand in endless queues that don’t seem to move, I would resolve to kick my bad habit of procrastinating. “No more last-minute shopping!” I would tell myself, only to find myself in the same situation the following year. It doesn’t help that my ears get tortured on those shopping trips, what with all those stupid jingles about reindeers that have caught a cold and bells that actually ring.

I remember there was a year when I was waiting for my turn at the cashier’s, when I saw a card that the lady in front was holding. The front of the card read, “Hope. Joy. Peace.” It reminded me of other cards I have seen or received that read “Happy holidays!” or “Season’s greetings”.

I don’t understand why people bother with gifts if they can’t bring themselves to acknowledge the reason for giving? Why fuss over a tree and its colour theme, if tjhey can’t acknowledge / don’t know / don’t wish to know what the tree represents? Why send cards that speak of hope, joy and peace when they don’t wish to acknowledge the Source of all that?

Do you know what irritates me the most? Reading this greeting that seems to be everywhere – Merry X’mas.

It is one thing to be ignorant about the meaning of Christmas (although I really cannot fathom how, since the Christmas story is told in school textbooks and even in the newspapers), but quite another to deliberately omit the reason for Christmas. Of all the things that people remove, they have removed Christ from the holiday’s name. How convenient. If you really want to shorten the letters you need to write or type, why not shorten “Happy New Year” to HNY instead? Since most greetings would string the two in one sentence anyway? Or how about shortening the “Merry” to just an “M”? Something like, “M Christmas & HNY!” By the way, I think my suggestion is ridiculous too. I made that suggestion just to emphasise my point – that the omission of “Christ” from the season is uncalled for.

You see, without Christ, there wouldn’t be a Christmas. So whatever you do, don’t leave Him out.

Merry Christmas.

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