Christmas glow extinguished ?

Thinking of Christmas now, the line from Band Aid's "Do they know it’s Christmas-time at all?" comes to mind. And not just in the sense they meant it, but in a whole different sense more relevant to "our times" you could say. It's not just about the people in the war-ridden parts of our land who would probably feel no different come Christmas or any other day for that matter, but rather, I refer to us all… Does Christmas mean nothing to us anymore? Can we officially announce the death of the Christmas Spirit?

Looking back at the idyllic days of our childhood and even whilst we were growing up, there was always this childish sense of anticipation that would well inside of us as Christmas approached.

There was always something about this time that could transform even the oldest of us into wide-eyed kids… gazing in wonderment at the sights surrounding us, as though seeing them all for the very first time! Even seeing Santa at a shop or on the road, or just Christmas shopping for our loved ones with our whole family rallying around compiling shopping lists, pooling our pocket money and shopping together, even decorating the house together was considered a big deal!

Now, we'd be lucky if we manage to get our immediate family's gifts on time! As for decorating houses, it's probably left until the last minute and some 'unfortunate soul' (who probably lost a coin toss or the likes) would wind up doing it if at all and as for Santa… well everyone knows he's just some regular chap in a red suit and hat, so what's all the fuss about?

Well for starters, it's not these 'Christmassy' acts or personalities by themselves that's important, but rather, what they represent or symbolize. The fundamentals such as love, happiness, peace and good cheer that epitomize Christmas, are fast fading away and that's the saddest part about what Christmas has become today. Although, it's a given that nowadays people are much more caught up with their own issues and are all too busy keeping up with the big 'rat race' called life, what was especially nice about Christmas was that it always provided us with that much-needed "break" from 'life', which of course we quite willingly always took… well at least up until now that is. I guess, as the years went by, the number of us who clung onto the Christmas that we knew as children dwindled over the years, until now even we have succumbed to the pressures of life so much so, that Christmas has become just another holiday which must be endured!

Why has this transformation happened? Is it because we just have different, more important priorities now, or have the rigors of life finally taken its toll on us, so much so that we've become too cynical even for our own good? Whatever the reason, it's rather tragic to admit that this is finally what Christmas has been reduced to, even in a country such as ours, which is known for its personal touch and carefree approach to life.