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Leo P. Olobia |
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Pulverizing
Christmas in America
About the CD:
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Pulverizing Christmas in America |
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This year I happened to join the fun when we went to Walmart at 7:00 AM and found the store in shambles. People everywhere filling up their shopping carts with mountain of toys, toys and more toys while the kids continue to pick their favorite Disney characters to be adored for 10 minutes of their life then tear them off as if they're no longer friends with them. I could barely move in this chaos. All the items on sale were gone as the shelves were deserted, even those assorted chocolates that are usually priced for about $3 and reduced for a buck were instantly wiped out. Credit cards flooded the register, certainly good for Uncle Sam. Today I watched the movie "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" and I was entertained totally since the theme centers around pulverizing, thwarting Christmas because it is too commercial. The scene where the Grinch dresses up as Santa Claus and vacuums all the gifts in each house thinking the celebration will be disrupted without them aptly describes a sickening tradition Americans worship. Yes, it is true. People are just so oriented with materialism - gifts wrapped for all the friends they know crowd out the Christmas tree. The more, the better it looks. On the spritual side, people still go to church and continue to show off by wearing their most expensive Omega watch and shoes for all the world to notice. While the priest gives blessings for the Holiday season, everyone is thinking how much money they can donate to the church because they have to buy more gifts for their friends and families. In Florida, because there are a lot of snowbirds coming from the North who escape the wrath of the winter season, find time to pack those seats in the church. Some of them are generous but on the whole, they can kill you with their cheap-skate attitude. Next time they conquer Florida, they should be charged rent for sitting in public places such as the church or park. They think everything is free for them because they are visitors. I don't think we should make an exception. So much. A very interesting sight around here is the flickering series of lights in the residences. They are so vibrant and colorful, maybe because they feel they are close to heaven when lights brighten up their place. Oh, heaven, such an onverrated place. Where is it, really? Is it reachable or just another label or a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Indeed, themes around Christmas are products of creative imagination. I do not oppose any of them because it is part of magic. The whole celebration berings out everything. It goes beyond commercialism, unfortunately too indulgent at times, but still the celebration unites families, clear broken relationships. It is a time for healing, forgiveness just like the awakened Grinch when he realizes Christmas goes on even without gifts. Cliche it might sound but true. Kids are the number one target for commercialism because they can always beg from parents. When families are endowed with wealth, life brightens up but when there is nothing inside the wallet, they can still sing Christmas carols because all they want is to imbibe the spirit. Toys are symbols of happiness but there is more than that. There is love from the mother because she gives her the milk she needs. If we can pulverize the commercial tradition of Christmas, we can transcend ourselves. Let there be true Christmas, with or without anything.
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Posted at BQR 12/29/04. |
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