By Helle L. S5

Christmas, the time of love and joy, commemoration of Christ's birthday. Traditional stories depict children singing on doorsteps, wrapped up tight in woollen attire and fluffy mittens, smiling rosily as they puff down the street, heat rising in clouds of steam from warm, energetic bodies. We see the typical Scrooge, a lonely man who chooses not to acknowledge the season, grumbling outrightly about the price of coal and scaring children to the other side of the lane.

But now, due to mass marketing and publicity, the insight to make as much money as possible in the couple of months, weeks, and days before Christmas, our traditional religious celebration has become a floundering mess of tacky adverts, offers, plastic decorations, superficial festivities, and quite literally nothing to do with a saintly child being born in a manger on a cold winter's night. Children are believing that Santa Claus is more relevant than the Virgin Mary, that receiving the newest, most high-tech presents at Christmas is actually a God-given right and that strenuous shopping not to mention ridiculous amounts of money changing hands should not, in any way whatsoever, be overlooked by their parents.

The public start being bombarded in about mid-November, sometimes a little earlier, depending on when the Halloween decorations come down, with lights, snowy-spray motif stencils wobbly applied onto windows and notifications of offers here, there and everywhere. And, if you look closely, I will guarantee to you than everywhere, I mean everywhere there is any from of decoration, there will always be incorporated a sprig of holly in the corner of the design. Bizarre what you notice. Please don't think that I don't like these various paraphernalia and reminders of the festive season, it's just, well, why start thinking about Christmas (my favourite time of the year, mind, as a rule) in November and being pounded to death by the pressure it brings. I mean, by the time it actually comes along, people have exhausted themselves by shopping, organising, working (really hard so the holiday will run smoothly), Christmas parties, productions, publications, presents and, all the while, trying to make this stress-fest into the happiest and joyous time of year. Oh, please. The suicide rate is the highest at Christmas, and no, I am not talking about turkeys.

So what can we do to bust this continuous strain that has wedged itself into the pothole that we call Christmas? What can we do to accentuate the 25th day of December, to make it more personal, to help its novelty last an entire season before everything crashes and burns as soon as one wakes up to a sink full of dirty dishes, littered wrapping paper and presents that no one really wanted.

Before people start to think that I am the world's most potent pessimist, I want to highlight the fact that there is truth in my ramblings, and take from them what you will. I love Christmas, the joys and entertainment, and I love to hate annoying problems such as blowing money on expensive presents you know the recipient won't fully appreciate, the continuous rain, the after-effects on my figure of too many mince pies, and the depiction of the baby Jesus in Almancil as a polystyrene blob surrounded by ribbon and holly leaves. I mean, it is a Christian celebration synonymous with his birth, can we cut him some slack? I seem to remember there wasn't even a baby in the manger last year! Fancy thugs cradle-snatching and proceeding then to enjoy the holiday, reaping the rewards of the festivities?!

However, lucky us who live in a country with a general population that actually know and appreciate the Nativity story due to national Catholicism, and who either don't put up decorations at all or leave them up all year and draw attention to them at the right time with clever lighting. I know a restaurant up on Quatro Estradas that needs no more effort this year than changing the dates on their front window spray-display to 2000-2001 to commemorate this year's Christmas and New Year. How sweet is that?

I do hope that all of the readers can appreciate both sides of the story. Christmas comes with a pinch of both salt and pepper, so don't be too surprised of the unexpected. On danger of sounding like an American talk show host wrapping up, I will say this: Remember Christmas is for you and your loved ones. The celebrations are what you make of them. You may prefer to be curled up on the sofa with sugary tea and a good book, to painting the town red (and green) with your social plans and wild parties. If so, so be it, enjoy it, and don't let anyone get you down at this time of year, the crazy and fantastic worldwide celebration we call Christmas.

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