Punchline
The Christmas past
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
Remembering the Christmas past leads one to wonder where the genuine Christian spirit for celebration went.
Today, we see bigger and more colorful lights, brightly designed parols, giant Christmas trees, awesome toys and gifts galore line up the streets and the malls. They are spectacles by themselves but what do these tell us? All these convey that the all-important, most significant and annual cheery event is to be celebrated. Event?
It’s celebrating Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, birthdays and anniversaries, all rolled into one. It’s party-time!
These are also reminders to all employees that ‘tis time to spend the 13 month pay…time for getting drunk, feasting on lechon, ham, fruit salad, spaghetti, etc…time to exploit generosity of others…to expect and solicit gifts….from ‘Santas’ of all kinds.
Ask any adult what comes to his or her mind instantly when the word ‘Christmas’ is uttered, and you can be sure it’s mostly about not having money to spend for the “event”. “Walang pera, eh” is a familiar refrain.
Does anyone care to associate the word ‘Christmas’ with the coming of Jesus Christ to save us from eternal damnation. Naaah. And the kids? I don’t blame them for associating the occasion only with toys and clothes and ninongs and cash gifts and what have you because that’s what we taught them!
Sadly, even images of Santa Claus have slowly obviated the true meaning of Christmas. Even ‘belens’ (scene of nativity) depicted everywhere are now presented as timely seasonal ‘props’ to announce ‘Big Sales’.
Yes, Christmas and Santa have become synonymous to the ultimate celebration of crass commercialism feeding on people’s sheer materialistic culture and values.
The only surviving positive thought about the true spirit of Christmas today is the continued focus on family and friends. So, all is not lost. Perhaps, the difficult time ahead will yet teach us to remember what Christmas is all about – to celebrate life as Jesus wants us to.
For starters, Christian parents should compel all members of the family (with no exception) to dress up in their best to hear mass or attend a service as a family to celebrate Christmas! Chances are, the next generation will begin to learn what Christmas is really all about.
Merry Christ Mass!
***
BAL IS GONE. Today’s generation may not be aware of it but the establishment that first instituted awareness for quality medicines and wellness for our people in Pangasinan was certainly not Mercury Drug. It was the husband-wife team of Don Pedro and Otillia Balingit, they who brought Farmacia Balingit to us in the early 50s. In those days, doctors’ prescriptions were prepared by drugstores, and Farmacia Balingit was easily deemed the most reliable of them all.
Last week, Don Pedro (fondly called “Bal” by Rotarians) quietly passed away. His easy smile and firm handshake will be sorely missed by those whose lives were touched and healed by Farmacia Balingit. I’m one of them.
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A ‘SHOTGUN’ CHARGE. There’s definitely more than meets the eye in the ongoing investigation of the charges filed against Anda Mayor Nestor Pulido by his vice mayor and a couple of councilors.
I seriously doubt that it’s a simple case of “dishonesty, oppression, misconduct in office, negligence or dereliction of duty and abuse of authority” as charged. When politicians conspire and throw the whole book at another like a shotgun, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that such accusations smack of political vendetta or a big agenda.
A credible accusation is a single specific charge which is not the case here. Sounds to me like some quarters are simply afraid of the Pulidos winning in 2010.
(Readers may reach columnist at punch.sunday@gmail.com. For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/punchline/
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