It's CHRISTmas again........2008....

It's CHRISTmas again. It has been another bonus year given by the Almighty. Yours sincerely always consider every Christmas a bonus for another year which we miserable humankind have undeservingly been granted with to make amends, repair and straighten our lives and make this world a better place to live in.

Anyway, when it is Christmas, one must put up the Christmas tree. In the good old days when the children were young, the better half and I had to drive all the way to Gama Supermarket in Penang to get one. Decorating the tree was then the girls' passion. The plastic tree had to bear with so many ornaments and twisted with many more twinkling coloured bulbs. The putting up of the tree was somewhat ritual like. It was, of course, done with much happiness and joy. Colourful wrapped presents with notes for designated receivers ( I always love the ones written my elder daughter and through the years I know she meant what she wrote) were placed under the tree and the girls gleefully waited for the moment to open them. The moment was usually after our attendance at the midnight Christmas mass. Then, the "oooo" and "aaaa" and "thank you papa" and "thank you mama." CHRISTmas is family.

So, the tree proudly stood at a strategic corner of the living room, absorbing glances, observations and praises from guests. It stood there through the New Year and Chinese New Year. It somehow gathered a bit of house dust. No one remembered to switch on the lights anymore. By then Christmas was long gone. And the taking down , as you would have guessed it, had always been the father's job! Anyway, it was fun, bonding and "family." BUT NOW, THE CHILDREN HAVE GROWN UP AND WE, THE PARENTS ARE GETTING ON IN AGE,SO OUR CHRISTMAS TREE LOOKS LIKE THIS NOW ............


It is a boring, plastic, DIY, fibre opic tree that cannot be dressed, just plug into an electricity source. It is hitec but devoid of the warmth from the children's touch. Oh! How I miss the good old tree even though I had to take it down. Well, the moral of the story is that when you have the chance to be a "family", make time, take the trouble, enjoy each other's company, bond............. Things cannnot be the same forever. Children grow up and out of the home. One of the spouses might be called Home ........

Anyway, CHRISTmas is giving. The gift part is still maintained. It is still after the midnight mass. So, we exchanged gifts and opened them but without the elder daughter and her spouse this year. It is not the same as yesteryears.This is what Esther, the younger daughter gets.(See pic) She is loveable and appreciates any thing you get for her. She has even "prebought" a Nokia and debited her mum's account for another of her very early Christmas present. "I have to keep in touch with you fellas in A Star." Her reason.

The climax of the Christmas gift opening ritual and to put some life and fun into our 30 over years of this partnership of living together which civilization calls "marriage" , mind you, many such partnerships have gone desert dry and the partners are living cactus prickling existence. Still many partners are eyeing and peering at greener lawns. Well, yours sincerely always thinks that if you start to see greener lawns elsewhere, it was time you start watering and fertilizing yours. Put some life and fun in your partnership. So, the better half's Christmas present is a sexy lingerie (Hope she can still get into it.) with a red, you can see what..... She was gleefully giggling away like when we were on our first date, years ago! "PAPA, wha- lah you like ths one?" was the younger daughter's comment with a blushed face. It was fun to watch their reaction.

You can imagine how the salesgirls and the cashiers at the checkout counter of the women's section stared at me and what they would have thought of me ($%^&*) when I was paying for the purchase, not to mention the other ladies in the queue.

CHRISTmas is for everyone. So, have a blessed and glorious CHRISTmas and all the days that follow. Keep your hope high. Get angry less. Smile more. Forgive the most.

The world is meant to be shared. It has enough for all our needs and NOT greed. Carpe diem.