Merry Christmas?

As we near the holidays, it is not uncommon to hear statements like "The spirit of Christmas is gone, it is now so commercialized!" or "How can we possibly celebrate Christmas when many of our countrymen are suffering?" or "Our company is in survival mode due to the global economic downturn; we cannot afford to celebrate Christmas."

These are all legitimate statements and very easily understandable.

You see it in stores and malls as we approach Christmas - all stocked up to the brink with products in colorful galore - and consumers on shopping binges that extend their financial resources to the edge or over the limits.

Some would cancel Christmas celebrations and parties and would instead donate the money to victims of the recent typhoon disasters. A noble act indeed. Commendable?

Still others, companies affected by the global financial crisis mostly, are decreasing if not entirely eliminating their employees' Christmas bonuses, even cancelling the company Christmas parties because times are hard and they cannot afford it. Reasonable?

Commercialized Christmas is, indeed! The above statements are all based from the premise that a Christmas celebration can happen only in the presence of material goods.

Deep inside, we know better.

After all, the very first Christmas celebration was very simple and in a most humble venue - the stable. It is true, there are times when hopelessness seems to pervade the air; hardships surround us made more terrible by tragedies that have befallen many; frustrations in some of our institutions permeate in us for failure to provide a much-needed sense of hope and security.

But those are parts of life and always will be.

Perhaps on different levels but it is what it was 2009 years ago; it is what it is 2009 years after. Even with our heritage of faith and progress in science, trials will always be part of the essence of our existence - nothing is itself without everything else.

For those who have the resources, share, for there is only so much money a person would need, everything else is for vanity. For those who don't, make it simple.

Christmas is a time for friends and family; a time for communities to come together; a time to build respect and compassion for each other. Only then will our celebration be merry.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!