Christmas Curiosities and Contrivances

‘Tis the season to be… well whatever your heart desires! That is, I might add, the beauty of living in the 21st century. It is also a celebration for us Christians on a religious level, but living in the wonderful melting pot that is Sri Lankan society, it is a celebration for absolutely everyone!

We also see that this is the time of year, commencing from November when the ‘party circuit’ amps up the volume and takes the opportunity to make the most of the impending festive season. From beautiful decor to delectable cuisine, can anything deter us from our holiday glee?

In 2021, with the residual fall out of the pandemic causing untold ripple effects of a negative nature, ranging from the financial, medical and psychological, this has also been a year of sharp dips and dives in life. We have also faced numerous issues locally from the horrifying rise of the cost of living, to the embarrassment of not being able to purchase the bare basics of life such as cooking fuel. Now with many people struggling to put a single meal on the table (forget three meals!), is this the time to put the focus on self-indulgence? Is it the time to throw huge parties, simply because they can? Well, it is their money after all, and the argument may arise that what they do with it, is their sole concern, but how about having ‘sole concern’ with a little ‘soul concern’?

Christmas has and is giving folks the ultimate excuse, if one was even needed by the vapid vamps, to show off what they consider their real-life glittering spectacles. Real? What reality? Now that should be filed under the category of comedy! We have the self crowned queens of the social set decorating their shiny homes not for their own familial enjoyment, but as a photo backdrop for their ‘show it so they know it’ holiday pictures. From themed and so called ‘curated’ events to downright bawdy bashes, these social dragonflies make ‘show (off) and tell’ the ‘reason for the season!’

The lack of events over the past months could also mean that all their self-perceived finery had no outlet so all the shiny bits of the shiny set needed a venue for the unveiling. The halls are not the only places getting decked with boughs of holly, and everything else they could lay their hands on! We see dressed to thrill being taken to literally dressed to kill, while in the process killing off good taste! Disturbing fashion fracas abound where barely contained body parts seem to be battling gravity and every discernible fabric in an attempt to escape their confines. Low backs, fronts, and sides all frighteningly combined in the same garment, along with hemlines where a slight dip to any side would flash the ‘unmentionables,’ seem to be the premier festive wardrobe choices around town. Combined with overt jewelry that should belong on the Christmas tree, and super flashy makeup? Mixing in all of the above just for good measure, makes the richest of the rich cake less nutty than this bunch of                 merry-makers! 

The men also join in with their color coordination to match their significant, and insignificant others, making for a look that screams high school prom photo booth! Suddenly couples, clandestine and otherwise, decide to be ‘uniformed’ at parties, just in case they need to locate one another, if one willingly or otherwise, got lost! Throngs of matched duos hit the party circuit, making variety not just the spice but an essential of life! Conversations at full volume, ensuring everyone can hear one’s repartee, can be another lowlight of these events. Discussions vary but the not so hidden reason is to bring up the most-tacky, and least attractive topic of all, which is money! From talking about their latest acquisitions be it homes, cars, concubines, yachts, Islands, and planets etc. showing off ones ‘latest and greatest’ is the most cringe worthy kind of party prattle. 

This is also a time when showing excessive characteristics seem not just acceptable, but a must! Having a few delicious cocktails, or indulging in stronger libations for one’s own enjoyment does not seem to be enough when one can ensure a spectacle of epic proportions captured for one’s holiday media feed. There is nothing attractive about an intoxicated doyenne teetering on the brink of social and literal collapse, swilling her drink, while slurring her way through the party. Neither is there in seeing a man stained and rumpled hurling his guts out, while thinking he is the life of the party. Often times when inhibitions are lowered horrors arise in the form of unsolicited flirtations, and repulsive conversations as well. In my quiet world these scenarios induce more nausea than all the alcoholic excesses combined!

There are of course those wonderfully ‘tuned in’ folks with their finger on the (real) social pulse combining all their festivities with a huge sense of sharing, where as much as they enjoy the season, they also work charitably making an effort in helping others as well. I am speaking of those who believe in the golden “2 Cs” of ‘Covert Charity,’ not those who make a social media album out of handing over a few cutlets! Adding to the horror? They take a hundred pictures making the elderly, the children and the overall less privileged recipients ‘pose’ while partaking in this  self-promotional spectacle. Giving to those in need? Leave the photo shoot for another occasion!

As we ‘eat, drink and make merry’ let us pay heed to the society around us, the greater society, not just the insular vacant world of “me, me, me.” Pay attention to the optics when one is uploading a thousand pictures of one’s party, not because one should not, but simply because those who have not, do not need a glaring reminder of their own less then merry situations. I wish you all a wonderful Christmas, and ask that you share your abundances, and do the best you can to make this season meaningful in the form of kindness and generosity.