By Sahara Iman M. Alonto
December 24, 2010, 4:00 pm
I was standing in the middle of the crowd, waiting as well for the magnificent revelation of the transition of Xavier University. As the countdown was coming to an end, my heart went from static to ecstatic. When finally the main lane of Xavier University was dressed with Christmas lights, I was stunned.
Every Christmas season, I am filled with the same astonishment despite my being a Muslim. Obviously, Christmas is non-existent in my religion. People, who are my brothers and sisters in faith, are indifferent about Christmas. They don’t have the jitters and fantasies upon knowing who their manito or manita is or go the extra mile to give a stranger a reason to be merry on Christmas day. But, I definitely do. Oh, it would just be a pity to say no to the little excitements that Christmas has to offer. Here is a list of why Christmas dazzles me.
To top the list are fat paychecks. Can you think of any other occasion that employers can’t find a reason to be less selfish as they usually are? No, they only do in Christmas. Therefore, it is only in Christmas that everyone has no choice but to share because no one can reason that he’s broke.
Fat paychecks have to be spent wisely as they come only once a year. No dime will be wasted with Christmas mall sales. Mall sales and shop discounts are business geniuses to fool customers on buying more of the less quality goods. However, Christmas sales are different. They genuinely make you assume that you’re the smart one in the situation.
Then, the gifts! They never fail to make me giggle even though my wish list hasn’t been completed up to now. Still, I give gifts covered by flaunty Hallmark Christmas wrappers complemented by ribbons which I specially requested Miss Wrapper to make a little artier. Everyone does that, right?
The most puzzling gift that I receive every Christmas season is the people. There is always a peculiar ingredient added in their systems during Christmas. Somehow, they become more if not better of who they are. I hear them talk about faith sincerely, see them act righteously and feel them love unconditionally. The interesting part is that it usually fades away after the festivity. It may be a passing thing but it’s not an act on their part. Perhaps, it’s just how the spirit of Christmas affects them.
In a serious note, I adore Christmas because it’s pure. Despite the flamboyance of the sparkles of decors, the impracticality of Christmas shoppers or the extravagance of Christmas parties, it directs us to one path which is towards our own families. It is only during Christmas holidays that I see my family cramping in our little sofa, reminiscing the times which passed unnoticed and troubling about the scares of the approaching year. Only in those moments that time seems frozen and responsibilities forgotten. I think this is evident in most families which is why people pursue in having the best in Christmas in order to capture the best of their loved ones.
What more can I say, I simply love Christmas Holidays. Yes, I might be burned at stake if the prying eyes of my siblings in religion get a peek on this. But, no, it doesn’t bother me to say it out loud. I simply am expressing the altitude of my deep appreciation on the beauty of Christmas, a collective product of God’s creations – human beings, music, trees and a lot more things. Burn me not, and Merry Christmas to us all!
