Merry Christmas, where is my present?

Audi did it again, read Happy Birthday Jesus.

I love this one: (by Audi)

Guy: Merry Christmas.
Me: I'm not Christian.
Guy: You know...it's sad. What happened to the spirit of Christmas? Christmas has become so commercial.
Me: I don't know. I'm not Christian.

*** ****

Guy: Merry Christmas.
Me: I'm not Christian.
Guy: I have a present for you.
Me: Thanks. It's also Hanukkah. I'm not Jewish but do I get a present for Hanukkah too?
Guy: Err...OK. Here's your present. Happy Hanukkah.
Me: Thanks. It's also Kwanza. Do I get a present for Kwanza?
Guy: Err...I think you are missing the point here. You not getting the spirit of Christmas.
Me: Maybe because I am not Christian.
Guy: Then I want my presents back.
Me: Go away.

I know some of us buy gifts for close friends for the fun of it during Christmas season but I also know some girlfriends (yes, it's usually a phenomena among women only) who would feel obliged to buy presents for cousins, nieces, uncles, boyfriends' nieces and cousins, grand-uncle, aunties...etc, basically I think Christmas in Malaysia is more of a celebration of presents/gifts more than anything else. How did we get here?

I have nothing against having a public holiday and lots of fun parties with friends on Christmas but seeing people getting pressured into spending a month's salary buying gifts for the whole village seem so unnecessary.

That's why I absolutely adore the painted glass Z gave me, and the `home-made' Ella CD Cris gave me. In exchange I gave out a box of trinkets from my own collection for the girls. Pretty painless.

For the lot of you out there with more money to burn, happy shopping, you have two more days!