'Tis the season of giving

(Macky Lim)
(Macky Lim)

CHRISTMAS, admittedly, at this day and age is not "merry" without gifts and party. The holiday has been way too much commercialized throughout the years.

Schools, companies and organizations plan their parties and giveaways as early as September, the official start of Christmas season in the Philippines dubbed as the "ber" month, making it the longest Christmas celebration in the entire world.

Splurging has been part of the Filipino vocabulary, especially during this season. Children smash their piggy banks after a year's worth of saving pennies to buy their favorite toys, while adults flock to the nearest ATM to withdraw their 13th (or even 14th) month bonuses.

As early as November, shopping malls are already highlighting their jaw-dropping discounted items to attract their patrons. Midnight sales are also tempting.

And if you are too lazy and hate getting into crowded places, there is your ever reliable mobile phone that, with just a few taps of your fingers, Christmas shopping is done.

Online shopping apps recently launched their Christmas sale promos, attracting more buyers to shop as early as now to avail discounts and avoid the hassle.

Believe it or not, Filipino adults ages 18 and above are willing to spend an amount ranging from P15,000 and above during the holidays.

A "2019 Holiday Study" initiated by Facebook revealed that over 1,500 Filipinos plan to spend an average of P15,350 for 18-to 34-year-old shoppers, while an average of P21,811 are planned by 55 years olds and above.

But that's okay. Gift-giving fuels the economy and provides employment and livelihood to millions of Filipinos, not to mention the benefits this activity provides to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Christmas, as American singer Andy Williams said, is "the most wonderful time of the year."

But for those who had their lives and faith shaken by the recent earthquakes that struck some parts of Mindanao, there seems nothing to be jolly and merry about during the holiday when their houses and livelihood were ruined by the calamity.

Based on the data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development- Soccsksargen (DSWD-12), Makilala in Cotabato has the most number of affected families with 20,704 or 103,520 individuals. In Kidapawan, there are 1,924 families affected or 9,620 individuals; Tulunan - 3,659 families or 18,285 individuals; and M'lang - 117 families or 585 individuals.

In Soccsksargen, a total of 29,479 families were affected or 147,395 individuals in 149 barangays and 27,310 houses damaged. Of the structures, 20,913 were destroyed while 6,397 were damaged.

Davao del Sur, meanwhile, has 4,257 families affected or 21,285 individuals who are now in 28 evacuation centers.

These families will be celebrating Christmas with a broken spirit.

Can we, those who were fortunate to not have been affected by calamities, celebrate the birth of Christ unsparingly knowing that just within our reach are our neighbors who are severely affected by the recent quakes?

While offering them prayers would mean a lot, giving them something that would help them get by for another day or even another month helps lessen the burden they are presently experiencing.

They say Christmas is the season of sharing. Now is the best time to show that this saying is indeed true.

While it is true that the best time to splurge yourself and your loved ones with expensive gifts is during Christmas, it is in times like this that shopping luxuriously is uncalled for. After all, it won't hurt anyone if you give them modest gifts and spare some of your money to buy materials that are needed by the evacuees.

There are various gift shops inside malls and even online which offer a wide array of items at a lower cost.

As Davao-based lifestyle blogger Shannen Adlaon said, gift buyers should not focus on the price, but the usability.

"Practicality wise, with the profound number of emerging markets and businesses today, one can easily find some gift alternatives that can last, of great value, and worth the price," she said.

She also shared that reducing one's expenses on gifts and allot it in charitable shares is not only the best practice Dabawenyos can do.

Donating materials needed by the evacuees, doing volunteer works and offering the victims prayers are the best ways to show the real spirit of Christmas.

Christmas, after all, is a great time for us to reflect about the blessings that we are bestowed upon and the gifts that we could offer.

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