I won't miss you, Christmas

Christmas is coming, and it doesn't even feel like it. I mean it. This year, I really didn't feel it coming. It's kind of hard since I wore shorts as recently as last week. Even though I have to wear long pants now, it can still be as warm as 20+ celsius during the daytime.

Christmas was never my favourite time of year. There were the perks of getting some time off from school and maybe some gifts here or there when I was younger, but for a non-Christian living in a supposedly secular country, Christmas never meant very much to me. I must admit that I enjoyed singing Christmas carols and taking part in Christmas festivities while in elementary school, and that I see no problem with Christmas being celebrated in schools. Canada, the US, and Western European countries should not deny the Judeo-Christian roots of their early settlers (and by that, I mean the white ones, not the so-called "Indian" ones), and I, as the offspring of relative latecomers, see no reason why Christmas SHOULDN'T be celebrated. From what I know, the decision to take Christmas out of schools was a decision made by white people who were probably Christian anyways. This decision probably pissed off white non-Christians, and may have made some of them mad at non-white non-Christians like me. Damn you, crazy overly-sensitive politicians!

I used to say that I especially hate Christmas Day because 1. all of my friends were busy spending time with their families, 2. the malls, supermarkets, libraries, etc. were all closed, and 3. TV programming unfailingly sucked. When I was much younger, Christmas was nice because my parents gave me and my siblings Christmas presents, but that ended when I turned 12. Since then, Christmas has ranked as one of the most boring days of the year.

Even though not everybody in Hong Kong celebrates Christmas, I find myself invited to a large number of Christmas parties. I've already gone to the Postgraduate Students Association Christmas party - in fact, I was the emcee for that one. I had to organise one for Graduate House, but it has been a bit of a challenge due to a shortage of manpower. My office was going to have one, but fortunately, it's been postponed until Chinese New Year. There are other parties, such as one held by the UBC Alumni Association - Hong Kong Chapter, I've decided not to attend. I'm not only just sick of going to these parties, but 1. my time is not unlimited, 2. my funds are not unlimited, 3. I can't dress up and act like a gentleman TOO often, and 4. I want to avoid buying crappy presents for those silly gift exchanges.

Oh, don't even get me started on gift giving. Nothing scares me more than the thought of buying presents. I absolutely HATE thinking of what to buy for people, especially during Christmas season. I'd like to think that I'm a thoughtful guy, but all illusions of that are shattered when I'm forced to buy a present from someone. What would this person appreciate? Does this person already have one of these things? Is this gift too cheap or too expensive? If I send this to this person, will he or she send me something even MORE valuable, thus forcing me to send her something in return, and thus starting an ugly gift-giving cycle? Anyway, I've decided not to give any Christmas presents to anyone this year. I'm used to not giving Christmas presents to anyone, actually. My friends and I have had such an understanding for years, and my parents INSIST that I don't give them any Christmas presents. Aside from those lame gift-exchanges, I've only ever had to exchange gifts with two people: an ex-girlfriend and a good friend of mine, both of them named Heidi. I wasn't joking when I said I normally don't exchange gifts, Heidis.

I resent what Christmas has become in the age of consumerism. Parents fool their kids into thinking that a kindly old man named Santa Claus brings them presents if they've been good all year. Thery buy them overpriced crap that stores KNOW that customers are forced to buy. What's even more silly is that the price of much of this crap is slashed the day after Christmas.

And as for Santa Claus.. let's pause to think for a minute about who the central figure of Christmas should be. The myth of Santa Claus has become more and more popular, but also more distorted. Did you know that St. Nicolas was a Turkish bishop who gave gifts to the poor during Christmas? St. Nicolas has since evolved into the Santa Claus who wears a white-lined red hat and suit and who rides a sleigh pulled by reindeer. How did that happen? Who's responsible for that? Some say Coca Cola, but it was more likely a 19th century American cartoonist. Since then, people vaguely know that Christmas is a religious holiday, and that Santa Claus is part of it. So much for the birth of Christ. CHRIST-mas.

Well, only 11 more days until this is all over. Thank God.. or.. Christ.. or.. Santa Claus(?)