Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
O CHRISTMAS tree, O Christmas tree, thy candles shine on brightly. Each bough doth hold its gold and ruby might, and each majestic diamond sparkle bright.
Encircled by vigilant police security, right?
Over the years the festive season has undergone a drastic change in meaning. From a time of giving, it has become a commercial fiesta. Santa Claus has become the department store ambassador for festive profits and plastic Christmas trees are filling the void left by deforestation-struck pine trees.
What a jolly good holiday to celebrate!
I sigh, hoping that people at least remember the significance of the day. I flip open the newspaper and choke on my orange juice. 'Abu Dhabi luxury hotel hosts $11 million Christmas tree'.
A 40-foot plastic giant of a tree, encrusted with diamonds, sapphires, gold, silver, emeralds and anything else that's shiny and expensive. Though a wonderfully weird potential entry into Guinness Book of Records, it is once again sadly a waste of wealth - not to mention an alarming security concern, I would have thought.
Christmas, or this festive season in general, is supposed to be a time of giving, sharing and helping the less fortunate. It's meant to remind us of what we have, to be thankful for it and cherish it with our friends and family.
It's the humanitarian month, if you like. Strangers smile at each other as they pass on the street and wish others well. Rather large donations are given to the poor who are shivering in the harshness of winter, and presents are exchanged to show our gratitude and love.
I continue to flip through the morning paper, ignoring the Christmas-exploiting advertisements and the ludicrous holiday shopping offers. I stop at another headline.
This one is slightly smaller, in a side column at the bottom of the page.
'Secret Santa gives out $100 bills in poor neighbourhood'
Apparently, a man dressed as Santa has been going around low-income neighbourhoods in America, giving away a total of $40,000 to the poor, ill and homeless. No strings attached. I smile.
Maybe there is hope for altruism after all.
So, I hope you all have yourselves a merry little Christmas and a great December in general. Don't forget to have a lovely time with your families, but do try to remember the less fortunate. You could make it a merry Christmas for them too.
Even the smallest gestures can often do mounds of good for others. I've heard they call it the Christmas miracle ... I like to call it a good deed and a good night's sleep.
And one last thing folks, try to lay off the diamonds on your Christmas trees this year, won't you?
