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Christmas becomes a make believe for most
View(s):As prices soar beyond reason celebrations go out of season
By Mirudhula Thambiah and Aanya Wipulasena
The escalating price of goods dampened the Christmas spirit for many this year, with many families having to forego some of the extra special things they have during the festive season, due to economic hardships.
Geethani Pieris (46), mother of three from Dehiwala, said that she had to cut down on commodities she was to buy for Christmas. “This is not what Christmas was back then. I remember my mother making various kinds of food, because she believed that people must celebrate this day as much as they can, as it is the most important day of the year. This is very sad,” she said.
It was a blue Christmas this year for many shoppers as the prices of goods were beyond their reach. Pix by Mangala Weerasekera
Mrs. Pieris further stated that she had to limit the expenditure on decorations, as they were very expensive. “I had to reuse last year’s decorations, as we couldn’t afford to spend on them this year,” she said, adding that, they didn’t keep their decorative bulbs on for long, because electricity rates are high, while the cost of living got worse this year.
Selvi Joseph (52) from Wattala was of like mind. “My husband’s parents live in Nuwara Eliya and traditionally, we visit his hometown every Christmas, but this year, it was not so, because travelling and gifts require a lot more money,” she said, adding that this Christmas was dull.
According to Colombo Housewives Association Secretary R. Diyana, the middle class is mostly affected. “The middle class hardly celebrated Christmas this year, unlike the people who can afford to celebrate. The increased fuel prices have reflected badly on every item we bought for Christmas, while some housewives complained of the increased electricity rates, because baking and preparing other food items require a lot of electricity,” she said.
She further stated that people did not waste money on crackers this year, as they saved the money for food. “Eggs went up by at least Rs. 3, while a kg of cashew nuts increased by Rs. 700. The price of milk products have increased by Rs. 25 – Rs. 30 over last year,” she said.
Sarath Jayewardene
Priyantha Alwis (45) a State sector employee from Moratuwa said that State sector employees found it extremely hard to cope with the high costs of different items. “It is very sad, because I had to cut down on the gifts we purchased this year. I have two children, and all I bought for them were items they need for school, not toys they expected from us,” he said, adding that his wife and he went from shop to shop to find an affordable gift but to no avail.
Ten-year-old Pramodh Alwis said Christmas was not as merry as in previous years. “I was expecting a remote-controlled car from my parents for this Christmas. I studied hard for the exams too, because my mother said she’ll get it for me if I score well, but all I got was books which I already have,” he complained.
Traders were among those who saw their sales drop this year. Sarath Jayewardene from Kiribathgoda sells decorations and other electrical items at the Pettah market. He said this year was the worst for sales in several years. “People just look at things and go. They rarely bought decorations worth over Rs 1,000. We will have to sell these items again next year, because most of them remained unsold,” he said.
The sales of decorations were not the only ones that were affected. According to Sarath Chandrasena who sells fire crackers at Borella, sales of firecrackers dropped sharply this year. “Many people did not buy much fire crackers this year. Some parents were made to buy these items as their children insisted on them, but we did not profit much from these sales,” he said.
However, there were some who celebrated Christmas without any complaints. Jayani Ferdinando (32) a private sector employee from Borelesgamuwa said Christmas was not so bad. “My husband and I bought decorations a little early this year, because we did not want to struggle in the crowds. We bought all the food items from out, because we did not have enough time for cooking, but all in all, it was a decent Christmas.”
M. Ramesh (27) from Negombo also agreed. “As my parents were abroad on Christmas day, we had to do all the decorations and preparations. We had a good Christmas, but our plans to go to Nuwara Eliya were cancelled because of the inclement weather,” he said.
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