I have a frank confession to make - Christmas isn't my favourite holiday. It always reminds me of my other home. When I was in Melbourne, those olde carols reminded me of Hyderabad and my family and childhood friends - nostalgic memories. Now that I'm in Hyderabad, I really miss Christmas in Melbourne!
If you're reading this and you can't decide what to buy your friends/family for Christmas - here's my suggestion:
1) Take time out - make time for people. The best gifts can't be bought.
2) Stop stressing out - it really spoils your holiday.
3) Plan one genuinely nice gesture for some lucky people, without expecting anything in return.
4) Be happy, be patient, be not frustrated, for 'tis the season to be jolly (c'mon, if I'm gonna be cliched, I may as well go down sounding like a sidewalk Santa!)
5) Don't be afraid to be the exception to the rule. Tell ppl you're celebrating Christmas on the 28th instead, go shopping on Boxing Day and save yourself a bundle and give it to someone like this kid below:
I was out shopping (not Christmas shopping!), with a friend, a kid approached us for some help. He needed Rs. 100 to pay the remainder of his school fees, so he could write his exams. The kid was willing to work 10 days, 7am-7pm and all he wanted was Rs. 10 (30c) per day. He doesn't have the support of a father, his mum's struggling just to feed her three children. Not one to be easily taken in by sob stories, I took down the number of his principal and asked the kid to show up at work. I'm sure we can work something out for him. We offered him some money to keep him going, but he didn't want charity.
When you can make a difference in someone else's life, to me - that's what Christmas is all about... maybe it will be a good holiday, after all.
Oh, did I forget to mention that I'm getting the best Christmas gift - she's arriving on a plane, at 8pm on Christmas night. Oh, starry night... *slumps into a dreary state of ecsatic stupor*
