Christmas is the merriest season of the year. It is a time for celebrations and getting together with my family and loved ones. For me there is no season of the year like Christmas. I love Christmas because of following reasons:

It is the time of the year when people generally earn their biggest pay check. In some countries it is mandated by law that government and private businesses give their employees or workers a Christmas bonus and 13th month pay in December. This pay gives employees an income that is more than double than the ones they receive in any other months of the year. For the business and self employed people the Christmas season is the time when business activities are at their peak and for this reason their profit is also bigger.

Christmas is the time when employees are given days off to enjoy the season. Christmas is one of the holidays that are recognized by the government. And during the season government institutions and private businesses give their employees days off to boost their morale. Their leave will give the employees the opportunity to be with their families and loved ones during the Holiday Season. In my previous employment the nature of my work required that I and my companions were always away from home. During the Christmas Season we were allowed to go on leave. In order that the unit would not be severely hampered during our absence, our leaves were given in two schedules- one in Christmas, the other in New Year.  Students are likewise given Christmas break to enjoy the occasion free from the hassles of their studies.

Christmas is the time of the year when people can show their love for their families and other people most. Kindness, love and generosity are good deeds that people should show to their fellowmen not only in Christmas but also in all the time of the year. Christmas is the time of the year when people outwardly show their affection to others by way of giving gifts or sending cards to them. Indeed, it is a common practice for people to exchange gifts during Christmas parties. Rich people could give gifts of good value but the most important thing is the heart of the giver. A simple Christmas card given by the poor is as valuable as the expensive gift given by the rich, if not more.  

Christmas is the time of the year when I could see relatives and friends and other people whom I have not seen or heard from for a long time.  During Christmas, relatives or friends come over to my house to pay me a visit. The sight of them makes me glad. Christmas is also the season when most family and school reunions are held. It pleases people to see former classmates, or other people whom they went to school with or mere friends that they have not seen for over a long time.

Christmas is the merriest season of the year. The extra money and the days off from work give people the opportunity to be with their loved ones to go shopping or to spend the time going to a place or activities to enjoy with. In the malls and in the house people hear Christmas songs and see the decorations which only add to the joyful spirit of the season. It is also the time that sumptuous foods and drink are prepared and parties are held. Dancing, singing, eating and drinking characterize the enjoyment of the activities.

Christmas Season is a boon to the economy. The heavy spending of people to celebrate the Christmas Season results to huge demand for foods and other goods. As a result business establishments are benefited by way of more sales and income during the season. More income from businesses means more taxes for the government to collect. The effect of the Christmas season redounds to the benefit of the society as a whole.

With the advent of the internet, people are given the opportunity to spend the Christmas Season better. Social networking sites such as Face book, Twitter and others facilitate communication among people. Nowadays, people can greet others by sending them an e-card from the internet. However, the traditional way of giving card through the old mail is much better, because a paper card is more lasting and gives a better impression to the one receiving it than a card that is received through the internet.

It is interesting to note that several friends have compared 9-11 with another memory – that of the assassination of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963. We asked ourselves what we were doing at the moment that the President was shot. We all remember pretty well. The same would be true for those who may still be alive who remember December 7, 1941. Or even the day Lincoln was assassinated. Obviously, each generation of people has its “memory anchor”, or maybe several.

What was I doing when I heard that Kennedy was shot? Sitting in Mr Miles’ 7th grade math class at Hixson Junior High School. What was I doing when the twin towers collapsed, when the Pentagon was attacked, when Flight 93 crashed? I was in the administrative offices of the Palm Beach County School District at a meeting. How about on December 7, 1941, or, June 6, 1944? I was not yet born, but I used to hear my parents and grandparents discuss them “as if they were yesterday.”

About two years ago, our graduating high school class held it’s 40-year reunion. I always thought that a reunion was just an excuse to skip work, drink, dance, and tell lies. And maybe they are. But this time it was different. For reasons only Zeus would know, the 40-year-mark broke a dam holding back the past, and memories flooded through in enormous amounts.

First, there was the high school reunion. Then there was the 40-year-reunion of the Youth Group of the Episcopal Church where I attended. Then there was the 40-year-reunion of the students who were enrolled in the Institute of Religion at UCLA. It was like “everyone woke up” and before long, someone created a “You knew you grew up in [your home town] when …” on Facebook. This has opened a whole new dimension to memories. That group site on Facebook is not merely those who existed in some location 40 years ago, but people who grew up and lived in my hometown from the oldest current or former resident living (who is on Facebook) to the youngest. Some stores and venues came and went before I was ever on the scene, and yet they are being talked about as if they were still there. Other people are remembering things that came – and went – after I had already moved away from my home town. But even so, there are many common elements that remarkably prick my memory.

I love the memories (well, most of them) that were evoked by questions posed by members of the group. But even more, I am amazed by the mind’s ability to reach so far back as to actually remember events and persons that I had completely forgotten. It is rather difficult to remember everything, but if probed by a series of questions, the heretofore-locked-away memories can come out and be recalled. As an example, I remember my maternal grandfather telling me that the “cyclone of ‘98” (1898) was as clear in his mind in 1968 – 70 years later – as the previous day had been.

My earliest memory, although nobody asked me questions to help me remember it, was when I must have been a toddler of maybe one year old. I had a soiled diaper, and recall getting changed. Weird, but true.

And while the recall of past events can be pleasant, it is the fact that the human brain can retain such vivid happenings after so long a period of time, is quite remarkable.

Last month, an ex-classmate called to invite me for another class reunion. As usual, I said yes and even made some suggestions, which she interpreted as a positive sign.

Barely a week before the big day I was still vacillating between going and staying away. two days before the event, I hedged and warned her that I would be likely tied up on the same day (”of course I’ll try my best to show up, but I’m not promising anything, mind”), but for the life of me, I couldn’t quite make up my mind whether I really wanted to go or not. Just like the last few times. (Procrastination — ain’t it great?)

Postponing the inevitable didn’t help either because in my case, “maybe” usually translates to “I don’t think so”.

I don’t know. I guess I’m just one of those crass souls who prefer to let the past stay where it is. (Before you jump to hasty conclusions though, let me assure you that I don’t subscribe to the idea of totally cutting oneself off from the past. I don’t think I’d want to.)

At the risk of sounding like a cantankerous fidget, my point is that I’d prefer to preserve the past as it was — uncolored, unedited and untouched by anything that has happened since then.

And far from wanting to forget that period of my life, I’d like to state for the record that I treasure those days, along with the angst, pain, triumphs, anticipation, laughter, and anxieties that go with them. if I could, I’d like to keep those days intact — the way we looked, the way things were, the way we acted (foolish, earnest, carefree, hopeful), dressed, hankered over our respective crushes, raved about our pop favorites, and agonized over our looks.

Basically, I have this horrid fear that if I go back and hear people rehashing those events (as they almost always do, during reunions), I might realize that things were not as good as I thought they were. Or that they may not measure up to what I’ve kept in my memories throughout the years. Not even the prospect of seeing my old crush — who, for all I know, may already be sporting a beard or a beer belly — could surmount my reluctance.

Sounds illogical and ridiculously selfish? Perhaps. But if memories are all that’s left to me (of those days), indulge me in my childish folly. I’d like to believe that some things remain perfect (with all their imperfections), unblemished by time and space, no matter how old I get.