Festive Season

As each year goes by I feel less and less festive come December. As I sit here paying my bills and listen to the wild rain outside, my tired mind can't help but wonder why this is.

What did I enjoy about Christmas back then?
- Jim Reeves and Boney M faithfully rattling out the Christmas tunes on the old cassette player
- Counting the year's savings. Growing up, we (siblings and I) saved our lunch money through the whole year so we could buy Christmas presents for each other (we thought we were rich! Lol!)
- Planning the itinerary for our annual shopping day
- Walking around town "shopping", from CCK to Wai Tui, back to the Savalalo flea market, and once in a while to Janet's (for their awesome selection and the powerful aircon in the shop)
- Listening to a really fobby Christmas album by some "artist" that I don't know. This albums plays at nearly every shop in Samoa, and I recently heard it again while visiting family in Mangere. Lol! You know the one - "It's the memory, of the old Grismas garrrrd..."
- Dry curry lunch at Amani's (this became a tradition of sorts during the Christmas shopping trip)
- Aoga mea every evening
- Unfashionable tux uniforms and candles without candle holders for Christmas items
- Midnight Christmas service, with beautiful singing from the Sunday School (I so miss that), a gazillion kids crowding around one camera (non-digital), and sometimes followed by a cuppa tea and masi at the church hall
- Christmas day back at the hall where we all received a (usually budget) gift...water guns FTW!
- BBQ lunch with the family at Vailele

That was pretty much it. The memories are flooding back. Christmas then was so ... Christmassy ..?

Is it that I am just too busy now to appreciate the small things that are around me now? Am I still in Christmas culture shock? Am I not "moving with the times"? Too old fashioned? Living in the past?

I don't know. And too tired to think.

But this I do know - some things remain true. Christmas is about Christ. Christ is about love. As long as I try to keep remembering that, I'm sure I will find my festivity niche in the hustle and bustle.

Merry Christmas, my 6 followers and visitors!

Much love,

Fob

(This post was definitely more fob than rock)