No Christ in Christmas!

Christmas is round the corner.  Despite the economy still being in the jaws of recession , one can sense the anticipation and excitement people are feeling at the prospect of coming festivities. You hear about series  of parties being planned , trips being booked; drinks and  turkey being  readied. You see shoppers , you see promotions, advertisement  and marketing messages all round. you have lights shining bright ; everything is there but hardly anyone is talking about Christ. I  am not talking  here about world vision and Charities , but about you and me.  Another factor in these strange times is that everything has become political. It is not good form anymore to wish people 'Merry Christmas", since it can hurt their feelings. Politically correct form is "Season's Greetings".
My friend George Koshi lives in a condo that has more  number of residents following another Semitic faith. They went around and passed a resolution that there will be no Christmas celebrations in the building. No carols , no tree with a star on it in the lobby, no public display; since it will hurt their religious feelings. So this is the Christmas George is forced to celebrate.Incidentally George lives in Canada.
One must realize that in all  the Christmas cacophony Christ has just become a background noise that everyone just ignores.  People are more animated about the boxing day sale than anything else. So far I have not heard anyone say they plan on praying that day forget about attending  formal church. I am not making a value judgment here because people are free to enjoy life and celebrate any which way they please but one wonders how and when this pious occasion meta morphed into an occasion to indulge your senses ?

I am not a  christian so let me point the other four fingers at myself. Isn't it exactly this road Diwali is traveling? An occasion to eat , drink and gamble . Put up garish displays of wealth . Bribe and be bribed ( gifts!!). Although I realize for a lot of people there is still a lot of sanctity left. I know most people pray that day and even  though it is not enough at least  spend some moments in piety. One benefit  of  becoming older is that you can look back .Anyway things are clearer in retrospect. So I remember in my younger days Diwali started quite early with street corner Ramlila performed by local people. It was very rustic and very amateur but there was no dearth of feeling in it. I remember even in our games as children we enacted the scenes from the Ramlila play. Ram was central to Diwali.
Like most people we were not exactly flush with funds so come Diwali we had some earthen lamps; one set of earthen images to pray to, a box or two of  the cheapest sweets and a barest minimum of crackers to celebrate it with. There were no big gifts, almost never  did we have new clothes, no electrical lights , no big feasts; yet I remember those Diwali's because the spirit ,enthusiasm and feelings were purer. If you ask me what I did last Diwali I do not remember yet I remember what happened thirty years ago.
Now I remember I partied last Diwali. Isn't that a shame?