BLOGG# 39 WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS

"We wish you a Merry Xmas” versus "Silent Night , Holy Night" As you know, I am in the Christmas mood as all right living people should be. This means,of course, blatant commercial activities with no guilt attached So here I am tripping gaily off to the malls with unfortunately not a full pocket but with a generous spirit. So far I have been malling- love that word- in Victoria’s two major malls and have even visited the two major ones in the great metropolis of Vancouver—the sophisticated Downtown exclusive Eaton’s mall and the super crass Burnaby one for an orgy of vicarious living in the fast lane. During all these indulgent hours I have been serenaded by the latest “Christmas music” piped in via loudspeakers at the highest volume which blasts my “Hearing–aided” ears excruciatingly. Now I happen to love Christmas Carols –the true ones- and don’t really mind the shrill newer ones either, but it is a pity that I can not remember when I last heard “Silent Night “ in a Canadian mall. I suppose since it became politically incorrect I have not heard it and miss hearing it. The pros and cons of political correctness is not what this is about -not at all- it is about the “topsdurvyness of the cultural customs of our present planet. Years ago when I lived in Greece the Christmas festivities were strictly religious and subdued. The New Year was celebrated with gifts and the western Christmas with great spending was unknown. Two years ago I was in Athens, Greece for Christmas and we did a lot of “Malling.” There are many new huge malls since entering the E.U. and Christmas really underlines this new way of living. The malls in Athens and suburbs were an hyperbole of over the top commercialization—the Santas are bigger, the reindeer cuter, the tinsel more vulgar than any I had seen ever, and all the time –interlaced with the excited shouting of eager Greek consumers, the sounds of the original sacred Christmas music of old, so banned in North America at the malls. Here at last I got my fill of my favourite Christmas music - nary a sound of “We wish you a merry Christmas” or “I am dreaming of a White Christmas” or “Deck the Halls” Why was it that here in Greece I could hear all my old favourites? Of course, the Greek people, happily shopping, had no concept of the significance of these sacred pieces, nor did they listen to the words. No, they happily shopped to their hearts content imbued with the materialistic Western Christmas spirit inspired by these “foreign” and beautiful songs unaware of political correctness or sacrilege. When I left Greece I was satisfied and satiated because I finally had had my fill of favourite Christmas Music. I love our present cultural “topsydurvyness” in our great planet and advise you ,dear readers, to embrace it also and have a wonderful Xmas.