At Christmas time

It is 10 days to Christmas but you could hardly feel it here in Bali. There are some shops that announce that there is a sale for December but they do not declare that it is a 'Christmas sale'. In fact, many people here wonder what is the fuss is about Christmas.

For the Balinese, Christmas is a foreign holiday and is not as important as their Hindu festivals. So as compared to Singapore, there are no competitions for best dressed buildings or shopping centres; there is no blatant Christmas season advertising; there is no pressure or rush for purchasing Christmas presents; there is no need for sending Christmas cards, and there is no neccesity for erecting a plastic Christmas tree in the house.

This is something that is new for me but it is a pleasant sensation. I can visit the malls on a weekend without fear of the holiday-shopping crowd. There is no pressure to budget for additional presents, cards or decorations when working out the monthly expenses for the month.

No pressure, no stress. What bliss. We only need to think about having something different for dinner on Christmas day. It can be having beef kebabs for main course or a cake for dessert. It can also be sharing a bottle of sparkling apple or grape juice. Just something slightly different.

Yet, in a little way, I will miss having Christmas dinner with my mother and brother. This will be the first year that I will not be sharing a Christmas meal with them. I do not recall a year without spending Christmas at home, even during the time when I was staying on campus as an undergraduate and later when I rented my own place away from home.

Christmas time with my mother and brother was always about just spending some time together at my mother's place. We did not do anything special like play board games or sing karaoke, and the only 'special' item we had on the dining table was some turkey, just for the occasion. Sometimes we just end up talking about inconsequential things or watching whatever is on the television. Most times we just enjoyed the comfort of each other's company.

This year, I have the S.O. for company instead. It is our first Christmas together. We had plans for a mini get-away within Bali perhaps to Amed or Candidasa. However, I will be equally happy if all we did was go out for a meal and have a walk by the beach.

Just like Bill Nighy's character Billy Mack said in Love Actually, Christmas is about spending time with the ones you love. It should not be about the presents, the snow, the carols or the cards. It is simply about spending time with your loved ones.

Have a really merry and love-filled Christmas time!