A year ago, I was conscripted into slavery abroad the machine known as... well you know what is. It still sounds like a local militia than an all powerful army, no matter how you attempt to glorify it. A year ago, I was robbed of my Christmas. I spent the entire advent in camp, amidst secularity and the inefficiency of the whole system, I couldn't adequately prepare for the great Feast of the Nativity, and I must say that I suffered a poor spiritual Christmas. All this probably added to low morale I felt throughout all of basic training. Most of all, I didn't have enough time to be with the people I cared for. I felt really lonely.
One year on, and despite being in a more retarded and inefficiently run course than basic training, I have since recovered from my depression and I have had a most enjoyable year. This time I made the resolve to prepare spiritually for advent, though I didn't really achieve what I set out to, it is a marked improvement from last year. Also, the week of medical leave following the excision of Bob, my uvula, from my throat helped things greatly.
To be honest, I didn't receive many gifts this year and I didn't receive anything material that I went 'wow' about. I was given a few CDs, a polo, a lovely pair of shoes and a shoe bag. I can't actually recall a time in my life where people actually got me something that made me jump for joy in appreciation. That probably means, people don't know me well enough to shop for me. Which is okay, I am admittedly a difficult child to profile. Though, I am long past the childhood stage of desiring to be given lots of material things during Christmas, gifts, or the idea of gift giving is very important to me.
You see, gifts are a very important thing in society. They are form a recognition. You give someone a gift in order to recognize their significance in your life. Society plays this up to a much larger formal extent, award ceremonies are held and recognition in the form awards are given to individuals in front of the whole society. So, gifts are our little ways of remembering the ones near and dear to us. Which is why the choice of the gift is always important, and should always be thoughtfully chosen and carefully selected for the needs or wants of the recipient. Hence, knowing the recipient is important. The better you know the recipient, the better you should be able to chose a gift for the person. Hence, I feel it is really sad when gift giving becomes a routine chore, for example at Christmas time. We have lists of people that we need to buy gifts for, and not want to buy or make gifts for. In our haste to clear the list, along with the mindless secular shopping that goes on along with this season, we end up just buying things thoughtlessly. Do not get me wrong, I am not being ingrateful, I am very thankful for the gifts I have received, particularly that I am remembered at all, however this is the standard at which I hold gift giving, and yes it is a strain to think of people carefully, but I feel it makes the gift all that more special, it makes the relationship all that more special.
There is another thing I realized about gifts, they don't always need be material. If you count the non-material gifts that I've received this Christmas, then I am very richly blessed. And yes, I do count these gifts. Particularly, the gift of your time.
As I said, I don't receive many 'official' gifts during Christmas, I don't have that many close enough friends. Also, my friends are all the non-working type, so I don't expect much, though I do expect myself to remember these people, even if it taxes me financially. So due to the course this year, I was temporally in deficit and I completely had forgotten about Christmas shopping until the eve of Christmas, but I realized that I had traded more gifts than I had any other Christmas this year. I had the probably one of the most valuable ones. That of time. Every moment that I was out, I spent it with friends and family as much as possible. I think that was the best gift to receive, those moments can never disappear now, because I will remember the fun that we had, the dialogue that went on, the catching up and the laughter, oh and the zombies. I think that was the one thing during Advent that I fulfilled, I spent time with friends and family, building stronger bonds. I met new ones too.
This year was quiet, possibly because of slavery, possibly because I had no parties to attend. Though it was rather quiet itself on Christmas day, the days that afore that and that followed were filled with activities.
I had already met up with Gerald, my ex-boss, who is one of the most inspirational doctors out there. I had a made a new friend, a very blessed and inspirational girl named Wai Jia, who raises lots of money to help orphans in Nepal and is in fourth year of medical school, I can't really decide which she does in her spare time. Jonathan was brought back from the airport, and the zombies once again feared us. I caught Sherlock Holmes with the aforementioned best friend and Marie, Michelle and Justin. It is wonderful to have such a lovely extended family. I caught Mr Holmes again(because it is so good, you must go watch NOW) with the other extend family of RCIY. Alone with a great RCIY dinner. We celebrated my brother and sister's birthdays. Snuck in a much needed latin lesson. I caught the Bowen in between his extras. Christmas dinner and lunch with the two sides of the family. The list is endless, well not really, however I am beginning to sound like a teenage schoolgirl which is quite appalling. I have so much to thank God for this Christmas. I would also like to thank the aforementioned for the most precious gift of time which you have most graciously provided me with.
You can never have enough laughter. Thank you.
Felix dies nativitatis Iesus Christi
Christus natus est! Glorificate eum!
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