Can anyone out there explain this to me: what is with the Christmas songs being played in the malls and over the radio… in SEPTEMBER?? Halloween isn’t even around the corner, yet “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” and “Christmas in our Hearts” can suddenly be heard almost everywhere. And take note that this phenomenon is unique to the Philippines and nowhere else; our country holds the distinction of celebrating the world's longest Christmas season. Many websites, Wikipedia included, attest to this. But none of them answer that most important of questions: WHY?
Why have Filipinos stretched a holiday season, which officially begins on December 16 and ends on the first Sunday of January (about 3 weeks), to last up to 5 months?? What exactly is the logic of associating every month that ends in –ber with snow, presents and Santa Claus?? Oh wait, don’t tell me… it’s BRR, not BER. Cause it’s supposed to be cold. Veeeeery fuuuuuunny, ha ha ha… :p
If you ask me, this reeks of holiday marketing. Obviously, sales are up for nearly every potential gift item available because of the Christmas season, and of course malls and their tenants would like to capitalize on this and squeeze their customers for all their worth. Thing is, it will be Rudolph and his North Pole pals who will be doing the squeezing, as mall display windows all over the country will have reindeer, Santa and his elves pressing their smiling faces against the glass, virtually inviting kids (and by extension, their loving but unwitting parents) to come in and purchase one holiday trinket… or ten. I’m sure that, back in the days when Philippine Christmases only lasted one month, these marketing folks would get together after the holidays, and as they discussed/bragged about how much they made from this year’s holiday sales, one of them suddenly wondered aloud “why can’t we have more days like this?”, and the others around him would say “hey yeah, that’s a good idea, let’s do that”. And ever since then, malls began playing holiday jingles a week earlier each year, thereby getting the unknowing shoppers in the mood for some holiday shopping, until finally we’re arrived at this point: “Jingle Bells” before “Trick or Treat”!!
Of course, the media are in on it as well, and so we are bombarded with “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” in our cars and in our homes well before Oktoberfest. And as we listen to the music and reminisce on all the lovely holiday memories we have, we begin to wonder, at the back of our minds, “maybe now would be a good time to do some holiday shopping for my Christmas list”. Ho-ho-ho… and no, that’s not Santa, but your ‘friendly-neighborhood’ sales & marketing team at the local mall enjoying the fruits of your labor through the purchases you made months before December 25, all because you heard some Puerto Rican singing “Feliz Navidad” while you were driving to work this morning. Ho-ho-ho, indeed…
Then again, maybe it’s not actually that simple. I might be mistaken in pointing to malls and sales personnel as being the sole culprits for this ‘Christmas in September’ madness. Maybe… maybe the customers are to blame for this. Yeah, maybe regular Filipino folk like you and me brought this all about. With all the bad news that greets us every morning as we pick up the paper and read the headlines, perhaps we’re just longing for anything, even some old overplayed song, to remind us that there is still some good news to look forward to. Or perhaps it’s because of the conditions we live in, our country being 3rd world and all, that we as a people clamor for those times and feelings that we associate with joyfulness and hope. And what other regular annual event is able to bring our country together with such hope, positivity and love?
As an adult, I will admit that Christmas no longer stirs within me those warm feelings of anticipation and excitement that it used to back in my childhood, and I know for a fact that I share this sentiment with many of my peers. (Well okay, it still does on occasion, but never as it did back in the day.) But I still look forward to it. I still think it is a joyous time that should be spent with loved ones, and I do admit to being addicted to that feeling I get every time I wake up on Christmas morning. And perhaps that is all that this ‘madness’ is: an attempt to extend the warmth that is in abundance in almost every Filipino home on Christmas day. By listening to all these holiday songs months before the holiday itself, we are able to recall and relive those wonderful feelings again and again, and by so doing are able to get through the day with a more positive atmosphere about us. Positive attitudes being infectious, it is highly likely that your upbeat manner could inspire others to behave in a similarly optimistic fashion.
And now that I think about it, what’s wrong with that?
^_^
The following are the lyrics to a song featured in the 1978 special “Christmas Eve on Sesame Street”. It is a wonderful song that expresses the importance of keeping the Christmas feeling of warmth and goodwill towards others with you every day, even beyond the holiday season. Click on the title to watch the video.
KEEP CHRISTMAS WITH YOU ALL THROUGH THE YEAR
From the TV show "Sesame Street"
When Christmas time is over and presents put away, don't be sad
There'll be so much to treasure about this Christmas day and the fun we've had
So many happy feelings to celebrate with you
And, oh, the good times hurry by so fast.
But even when it's over there's something you can do to make Christmas last:
Keep Christmas with you
All through the year,
When Christmas is over,
You can keep it near.
Think of this Christmas day
When Christmas is far away.
Keep Christmas with you
All through the year,
When Christmas is over,
Save some Christmas cheer.
These precious moments,
Hold them very dear
And keep Christmas with you
All through the year.
Christmas means the spirit of giving
Peace and joy to you,
The goodness of loving,
The gladness of living;
These are Christmas too.
So, keep Christmas with you
All through the year,
When Christmas is over,
Save some Christmas cheer.
These precious moments,
Hold them very dear
And keep Christmas with you
All through the year.
Why have Filipinos stretched a holiday season, which officially begins on December 16 and ends on the first Sunday of January (about 3 weeks), to last up to 5 months?? What exactly is the logic of associating every month that ends in –ber with snow, presents and Santa Claus?? Oh wait, don’t tell me… it’s BRR, not BER. Cause it’s supposed to be cold. Veeeeery fuuuuuunny, ha ha ha… :p
If you ask me, this reeks of holiday marketing. Obviously, sales are up for nearly every potential gift item available because of the Christmas season, and of course malls and their tenants would like to capitalize on this and squeeze their customers for all their worth. Thing is, it will be Rudolph and his North Pole pals who will be doing the squeezing, as mall display windows all over the country will have reindeer, Santa and his elves pressing their smiling faces against the glass, virtually inviting kids (and by extension, their loving but unwitting parents) to come in and purchase one holiday trinket… or ten. I’m sure that, back in the days when Philippine Christmases only lasted one month, these marketing folks would get together after the holidays, and as they discussed/bragged about how much they made from this year’s holiday sales, one of them suddenly wondered aloud “why can’t we have more days like this?”, and the others around him would say “hey yeah, that’s a good idea, let’s do that”. And ever since then, malls began playing holiday jingles a week earlier each year, thereby getting the unknowing shoppers in the mood for some holiday shopping, until finally we’re arrived at this point: “Jingle Bells” before “Trick or Treat”!!
Of course, the media are in on it as well, and so we are bombarded with “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” in our cars and in our homes well before Oktoberfest. And as we listen to the music and reminisce on all the lovely holiday memories we have, we begin to wonder, at the back of our minds, “maybe now would be a good time to do some holiday shopping for my Christmas list”. Ho-ho-ho… and no, that’s not Santa, but your ‘friendly-neighborhood’ sales & marketing team at the local mall enjoying the fruits of your labor through the purchases you made months before December 25, all because you heard some Puerto Rican singing “Feliz Navidad” while you were driving to work this morning. Ho-ho-ho, indeed…
Then again, maybe it’s not actually that simple. I might be mistaken in pointing to malls and sales personnel as being the sole culprits for this ‘Christmas in September’ madness. Maybe… maybe the customers are to blame for this. Yeah, maybe regular Filipino folk like you and me brought this all about. With all the bad news that greets us every morning as we pick up the paper and read the headlines, perhaps we’re just longing for anything, even some old overplayed song, to remind us that there is still some good news to look forward to. Or perhaps it’s because of the conditions we live in, our country being 3rd world and all, that we as a people clamor for those times and feelings that we associate with joyfulness and hope. And what other regular annual event is able to bring our country together with such hope, positivity and love?
As an adult, I will admit that Christmas no longer stirs within me those warm feelings of anticipation and excitement that it used to back in my childhood, and I know for a fact that I share this sentiment with many of my peers. (Well okay, it still does on occasion, but never as it did back in the day.) But I still look forward to it. I still think it is a joyous time that should be spent with loved ones, and I do admit to being addicted to that feeling I get every time I wake up on Christmas morning. And perhaps that is all that this ‘madness’ is: an attempt to extend the warmth that is in abundance in almost every Filipino home on Christmas day. By listening to all these holiday songs months before the holiday itself, we are able to recall and relive those wonderful feelings again and again, and by so doing are able to get through the day with a more positive atmosphere about us. Positive attitudes being infectious, it is highly likely that your upbeat manner could inspire others to behave in a similarly optimistic fashion.
And now that I think about it, what’s wrong with that?
^_^
The following are the lyrics to a song featured in the 1978 special “Christmas Eve on Sesame Street”. It is a wonderful song that expresses the importance of keeping the Christmas feeling of warmth and goodwill towards others with you every day, even beyond the holiday season. Click on the title to watch the video.
KEEP CHRISTMAS WITH YOU ALL THROUGH THE YEAR
From the TV show "Sesame Street"
When Christmas time is over and presents put away, don't be sad
There'll be so much to treasure about this Christmas day and the fun we've had
So many happy feelings to celebrate with you
And, oh, the good times hurry by so fast.
But even when it's over there's something you can do to make Christmas last:
Keep Christmas with you
All through the year,
When Christmas is over,
You can keep it near.
Think of this Christmas day
When Christmas is far away.
Keep Christmas with you
All through the year,
When Christmas is over,
Save some Christmas cheer.
These precious moments,
Hold them very dear
And keep Christmas with you
All through the year.
Christmas means the spirit of giving
Peace and joy to you,
The goodness of loving,
The gladness of living;
These are Christmas too.
So, keep Christmas with you
All through the year,
When Christmas is over,
Save some Christmas cheer.
These precious moments,
Hold them very dear
And keep Christmas with you
All through the year.
I can see that you are younger than me. :)
ReplyDeletehaha, really? what gave it away??
ReplyDelete