Everywhere I go there are all manner of visual displays from strangers wishing me a merry or happy or blessed Christmas. My area goes all out for the festive season.

I wonder if they know that the bulk of the Christmas decorations consumed by the west are made in factories staffed by predominantly Buddhist workers in China.

"Mr Cheng’s turnover this year has doubled to $US6 million, but he says rising prices for plastic, the raw material of Christmas, along with increasing salaries, are cutting into profits.

I should start thinking about developing products for other Western festivals, like the Valentine’s Day or Halloween."

Portly, grinning Lion Club Santas sit precariously atop buildings creating anxious images of "shopper squished by Santa" headlines.

Then there’s the shopping-centre parking-rage.
Nobody cares about ‘goodwill to mankind’ there.
It’s BMW eats Audi, the later model with the deepest tan always seems to win.

This year at work I respectfully declined the secret Santa ritual, suggesting a donation to a worthy cause instead.
Santa found me nonetheless.
Funny, I’m not generally known for being nice.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 22nd, 2004 at 8:59 am and is filed under Life; barely possible. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Click to leave a comment.