Almost all countries of the world look forward to the holiday season that accompanies Christmas and New Year.
Even in countries that have embraced Islam and other religions, people recognise Christmas as the Day of Peace, Dawn of a New Era and as A Beginning of Enlightenment.
There is a certain solemnity that is so universal that Christmas brings the joy of love, the sense of belonging and the spirit of brotherhood.
The fact that New Zealand has grown to accept Diwali, Lantern and other festivals with the participation of European, Maori and Pacific Islander segments, is indicative of the growing cohesion and integration in the society.
Christmas festivities began with the Santa Parade in many parts of the country, attracting thousands of men, women and children to watch Santa Claus at his best.
To millions of people around the world, Santa signifies grace, dignity, honour and most important of all, the father figure. Such is the popularity of the man that he occupies most display windows, personalised executive sleigh and more.
High expenditure
Christmas is now the biggest-spending item in most western countries after health care and defence. The logistics of that success require Santa to be in thousands of malls by day and down millions of chimneys by night.
It is generally believed that he relies on a series of proprietary algorithms derived from Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, which allow him to be in an infinite number of places simultaneously so long as nobody believes he is really in any one of them.
Of course, Christmas has to grapple with the fundamental uncertainties affecting all modern industries. They include globalisation, the spread of the internet and the pervasive power of shopping malls.
All of these seem to be working, for the moment at least, in Christmas’s favour.
Hot Christmas
Snow, ice and cold weather are often missed by average New Zealanders since the Southern Hemisphere is normally hot and humid. Christmas this year promises to bring with it more rain, making the weather warmer and stickier-not the common man’s idea of Christmas really!
Festivities have begun already, with commercial organisations and corporates hosting Christmas and year-end parties for staff and customers. Major retailers have placed an extensive range of items on special offers, while shopping malls, with extended business hours, have dedicated counters providing free gift wrap services.
Whatever be the issues and other problems rocking the country’s polity or economy, Christmas is a season for goodwill and friendship. People from all walks of life decide to become a little more human, showing concern for the fellow beings and fostering goodwill, kinship and universal brotherhood.
