Kopi Tiam: It's Christmas Time Again

It’s the time of the year again. Yes, Christmas is here and lots of shopping to do. It is the time of the year you irked most because you need to buy something special for your other half, or for your children. Nothing is right for your other half because she will always hope for something different. Say you buy her a nice diamond ring and she is likely to…. “Why are you being so spendthrift?” Next year you got her a pen and she responds coldly …. “A pen?” It is hard to please a person, and Christmas does entail such nuisance and headache. For the offspring the festivity comes with a lesser fuss and is usually along the line …. “Dad never gets it right, rightly or wrongly.”

It is also a season to remind oneself to send immeasurable number of greeting cards, never mind how remote that person can be in your social circle. The age old rule of “never forget anybody, lest no one will remember you” applies. In the old days, we sign and post every card personally. These days we dish out digitised Christmas cards but you still need to cut and paste which can be really tedious. Trust me, I tried and spent 8 hours doing that chaos with my only breaks being lunch and a phone conference to Mumbaiiiiii deh.

No Christmas celebration is complete until the Christmas Ball or dinner. That’s another downside of Christmas. You need a partner, and you are likely to spend days checking and deciding who you want to invite. Then you worried yourself over the “never overdressed, more importantly, don't look smarter than your boss” rule. In short, Christmas parties suck. You may wish to know that out of the 10 Christmas Ball I attended, I went away inappropriately dressed for the occasion! Our theme for this year was “Hollywood”, and I felt I dressed like an over-weight Marlon Brando amongst the pool of Brad Pitt’s lookalike. To add salt to the old wound, I am pretty sure all the Brad Pitts lookalike don't wear wigs. Haizzzzzzzzzz!!!!!!!! Christmas sucks and is a perennial morale detrimental season.

Like it or not, I am going back to my kampong for this Christmas. I suppose hibernating in that backdrop will be better because nobody in that place bothers about the festival. Arggggghhh! Except for my dear little sister, who in the yesteryears, spent hours decorating her own version of a ‘Xmas’ tree. Alas, the ‘snow’ on the tree were cottons (tonnes of it!), and over many many Xmas later, they turned yellowish. Looking back, I can only say she tried to instil some festivity mood onto all of us but we failed, each year, to reciprocate her gesture with any gifts whatsoever. The only ‘gift’ she got was a reminder (a lecture, actually) from mum on the “snow” spewing over the house.

And so for this Christmas I will choose to laze back and think about the many different ‘happy’ Christmas I have spent and perhaps chirping merrily away those ever wonderful Christmas songs. Yes, those songs that arouse dreamy, heart-warming memories of childhood. Or, those that gives you an acute case of heartburn. With this, Merry Christmas folks.

Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright……but not the stock market……..

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
Our troubles will be out of sight……. Except for our investments ….

This the season for generosity
A time to give and to receive
My Christmas list consists of just one sweet dream....

I know what I want for Christmas this year
I hope my note got to Santa on time
I’m a little bit nervous,

It’s kind of a big thing I’m asking for
I don’t know if I deserve it but, boy, if I get it
I’ll never ask for anything more……..Santa, I say no more!!!!!