RECENTLY I asked my friend, Mitch: ?What do you think of Christmas?? She replied, ?I hate it!? Of course, Mitch loves Christmas as much as I do. Like us, what she hated was ?Xmas,? the contemporary Yuletide season that?s so materialistic that it has become synonymous with food and drinks.

That?s why Xmas is so stressful: You need the annual bonus, because so many people are already lined up for the seasonal ?doleouts.? That certainly isn?t my notion of the Christmas spirit!

Even caroling has become a business venture hereabouts. How can you exclaim ?Merry Christmas? when you have your hand extended for money? Isn?t caroling about spreading the joy of the Emmanuel?s coming?

It wasn?t so terrible when street urchins singing gibberish versions of vintage carols merely expected coins. These days, however, ?rehearsed? groups expect hundreds or thousands of pesos for their ?performances.? And, instead of performing classic Yuletide tunes, they sing about the erotic desires of lovers during the holidays. Give me a break.

Rituals

The root word of Christmas is Christ. It?s the perfect time to be grateful for the kind of love that surpasses all understanding. ?Modern? Xmas is now about malls that turn the holidays into shop-till-you-drop days.

Some rich nations even declare it ?politically incorrect? to dwell on Bethlehem, so they focus more on Xmas décor like those shiny balls, ribbons and colorful gifts.

Christmas for believers is about the coming of our Savior. Non-believers are free to celebrate the holidays their way, but leave us alone to celebrate Christmas our way!