It took me a couple of years to realize that celebrating Christmas in America is no joke. As I get closer to Christmas day, the more physical and psychological pressure there is to get things done before the final moment. Christmas shopping is tremendously exhausting not only because of the difficulty in choosing the right gift for the right person but the financial strain to stay within budget. After those gifts have been bought, I found myself staying late at night trying to wrap them so they’re ready for the post office or that during the most awaited Christmas party on Christmas day, they are all set to go under the Christmas tree.
Christmas season is not only about
stretching your “wallet” but also remembering and re-assessing who among
your friends should get a simple gift from Santa on Christmas day. It is quite
obvious that not everybody will receive one but it is necessary that everyone
get at least a Christmas card. Christmas in America requires that you give to
your closest relatives and friends and your boss (maybe) a little gift, least
they will think that you’re ungrateful. While some husbands in the Philippines don’t bother about Christmas
shopping and gift giving because they simply thought it is a feminine stuff
(the old chauvinist mentality), it is not in America. As far as my observations
and experience with American friends are true, everybody goes to the mall and
wrap something for somebody else.
This year, I did all the shopping myself
so I knew how stressful it is financially and physically. But there is one
thing I learn about shopping, i.e., patience. Christmas shopping requires an
enormous amount of time in sorting through all the clothes and items that are
on sale. Indeed, Marshalls, Walmart and TJ Max were of great help to the
average and middle class. While I get busy with shopping and gift-wrapping, I
was at the same time working on the itinerary of my annual travel after
Christmas day so it made my schedule extremely “up to my throat<D>”.
An evening shop at Macy’s, Finish Line, Victoria Secret and Bath and Body Works in Tysons Galleria is a
bit frustrating because of the traffic and the unusual line at cash registers.
The pre-occupation of American population
over shopping and gifts have become symbolic and mechanical such that it has
become worldly and devoid of some spiritual significance. The preparations and
decorations have been overly exaggerated with so much Christmas lights and huge
Christmas trees that almost no one has ever thought that there is more
important things that need to be done before Christmas day, i.e., spiritual
preparedness. I cannot blame them because the American people have had the
tendency towards a utilitarian and pragmatic society. I myself have been guilty
of this worldly obsession but what is important is the knowledge and awareness
of the situation so as to be able to re-channel our energies towards spiritual
goodness. When everything has been said and done, at the end of everyday –
there is one thing we need to ask: have I been fair and just? Have I done something good toward the
person next to me? For our relationship with the Almighty is not measured by
how many times we went to church but by our active relationship with our neighbor.
I may sound prophetic but only this season to remind us that the year is about
to end and another year is coming and it is important that we go back to
ourselves and be rooted within our spiritual nature.
Postscript<D>: I have never thought that I will
be admitted to Georgetown University in Washington,
D.C. It was just a dream and
during our first day of class, I thought I was still dreaming. I am thankful
for this opportunity and will forever treasure every single day of my classroom
experience. The academic pressure is different and a bit difficult but I have
already anticipated the situation and have determined to face the challenges
ahead in order to meet that dream. But one thing we all have to remember –
patience and focus on the bull’s eye.
The Mail RSS Feed.
