As the bells start jingling and the drums start
pa-rum-pum-pumming, most importantly, everyone gets
a-egg-nog-nogging (and inventing strange words to get in the
festive mood).
Christmas is a still relatively new concept to this city and the
true essence of the holiday is somewhat lost in translation. The
smells of Christmas goodies are still missing, replaced instead by
the stench of rampant marketing and commercialization; the sound of
caroling and joyous praise drowned out by cash registers
ringing.
Such cynicism is hardly limited to Shanghai - all round the
world the original meaning of Christmas is being sold down the
swanny in favor of money-making gift hampers and ostentatious gifts
(nothing says the joy of giving quite like expensive jewelry).
It is hard not to be bitter. Reports show that the holiday
season leads to great stress and increased depression for
individuals having to cope with such debilitating conditions as
Seasonal Affective Disorder and the Oh-God-I'm-Alone-Yet-Again
syndrome. For those who do have a good time depression sets in when
the first pile of bills come in.
Holiday survival tips entail that no one gets left alone.
December 25 survivors should gather in groups to talk about fluffy,
happy things, instead of whining about not seeing family or basking
in the sun somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere. Copious amounts of
alcohol can help to a degree, but if the company X'mas party has
taught us anything it is that random coupling is a clear and
present danger.
A big hearty meal is never amiss come mistletoe time. Christmas
gluttony is a sin that can be absolved once the New Year
celebrations are done and dusted, so feel free to tuck in to the
myriad goodies that have somehow come to be associated with the
season (and why not too? Turkey is infinitely preferable to bales
of hay).
(Shanghai Daily December 21, 2007)