Surviving Christmas

Actually, I had typed up a blog entry yesterday, but it was so depressing I decided not to publish it. Reason being, I was alone on Christmas Eve, with no one by my side. So basically, the blog was filled with a lot of sad stories where I chased stray cats downstairs all evening because I wanted something to hold in my arms for Christmas. Unfortunately for me, these stray cats weren't really into the Christmas spirit of things and looked dangerous enough to give me a good beating.

Anyway, I decided to call off tempts of trying to get a living creature in my arms. I just hugged my pillow. It's as good as it gets I'm afraid.

Well, I'm assuming many of you are having a wonderful Christmas with your friends and families. Sadly for the Ang boys, we haven't done anything too memorable like sitting around a fireplace, opening presents and singing joyful Christmas carols with loved ones. My brother has just gone back to his Artillery camp and I'm sitting in my room all along again, blogging. I guess it's not such a big issue. Well, for us Angs anyway. We don't really do much for Christmas. I think the gift giving 'excitement' ended a decade ago (lol, seriously, I think it's around that time). There's just too many people to give presents to, and with our already low budget, we've learnt to adopt our mum's 'teaching'. It goes something like this, "There's a time for giving, and there's a time for receiving. In our family during Christmas, it's a time to receive." haha, don't kill me mum! I've revealed our secrets.

I mean, it's perfectly understandable. Our family doesn't make a lot of money. And for us to give presents to people, it becomes finanically difficult for us. We have done it in the past. We've given presents to people and of course to ourselves. Back then, I think finanically we were much better off. But ever since we started to move, our family of 5 started to depend on a single minute salary. I'm guessing that was the main reason why we've stopped our Christmas tradition. So ever since then, we've started to go without having Christmas decorations, Christmas trees, Christmas parties, etc.

But then, Christmas always gets me thinking. We all pretty much know the meaning of Christmas and why it's important for us christians. The birth of Jesus would mean that Jesus is actually the birthday boy. What's strange is how, even though Jesus is the birthday boy, we give presents to one another. As someone anonymous in ICC quoted, "It's like going to a birthday party and exchanging presents to the guests invited, rather than the birthday boy/girl."

If that is the case, then how, or why, do we give presents to each other? Perhaps it's out of the love of Christ Jesus that we give gifts to one another. To show that I love you and I am willing to go shopping because Jesus loves you, so He will help me endure the pain of having to shop for a Christmas present for you. Or maybe it's how we give to Jesus; giving presents to someone, and in the process, receiving a gift from another. All in all, love for one another is shown.

However, I think in the midst of all this gift giving, people begin to forget this meaning of the love of Jesus that it becomes this hype where it's a time to spend money. Then of course, people begin to put Jesus aside, and people forget what Christmas is really all about.

I've never really thought about this until I realised that the gift giving has become this event where people do it for the sake of giving gifts every year.

So what is your reason for the Christmas season? I like to play it safe and not do anything at all ;p haha, jk jk

For now, I wish the reminding handful of people who still read my blog a very joyous and Merry Christmas!

And of course, an extremely exciting New Year!!!

signed,

Boaz