Gold dust

Netnet Camomot .

NOW that Carcar’s fiesta is so over, it’s back to crispy pata, bacon and longganisa. No more lechon and lechon paksiw. Huhuhu.

Or should that be, Ho ho ho, now that Christmas is so near, we can almost feel the gold dust on our clothes, hair, skin—the Midas touch.

And then, there’s the Christmas party theme, dress code and exchange gift.

The best Christmas theme is the one with no theme. The best dress code is no dress code. The best exchange gift is the one with no amount required. Come what may. Or let’s eat, drink and dance the night away for tomorrow we will eat, drink and dance the night away again. Cheers!

But the theme is there to guide you on how to celebrate, the dress code is there so you won’t get confused on what to wear, and the exchange gift’s minimum amount is there to stop you from giving a paper clip. Unless there’s a Tiffany or Lladro paper clip.

The best gift is still the one that comes from the heart, which requires some walking inside malls and stores or even traveling to Mars to choose the perfect gift for the one you love. There are people, though, who pretend to be the one you love, you end up giving them everything, and they’ll still crave for more. Tsk tsk. There’s no rest for the greedy.

The best gift for yourself is to be contented with what you have so you won’t crave for more. But there’s always the lure to have a gift for yourself especially during the Christmas season when each purchase becomes a gift for yourself. So, there you are at the perfume section, listening to the sales staff’s expertise on combining scents, which he of course memorized at their product training, and, as a sample, he sprays several layers of scents on your skin and clothes until you could be smelled from Siberia to Timbuktu. He has invested so much time on you, which bothers your conscience, so, you buy two bottles instead of one while contemplating on never eating out and never having coffee at the expensive café, to save money for these gifts for yourself.

And all along you thought the books bought at National Book Store’s Book Binge Bazaar Cebu were your gifts for yourself.

The perfect gift for yourself, though, is peace of mind—if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t mean the absolute absence of challenges and obstacles. It simply means you’ve learned to accept life as it is—let go and let God. If you don’t believe in God, there’s Madonna: what will Madonna do? And that’s not Mama Mary, but the Like-a-Virgin Madonna.

If there’s one group that’s aware of your financial capability, it’s the bank. No one can escape from all that scrutiny with all the questions they ask before a potential depositor can even open a savings account. Better ask them first if you can afford it before making a major financial decision. But even if you’re hopeful about your finances, they’ll tell you the truth, anyway. It’s unsolicited advice but better listen to them with your heart and soul.

Christmas is usually the time when people indulge and are carried away with the parties, exchanging of gifts, and shopping sprees. It can also be the time for the one who has chosen a simple life to hibernate in Siberia and get away from it all. If you think hard about basic needs and what makes you truly happy, the list can be pared down to these: food, clothing, shelter, and good books. You don’t even have to go out of the house—everything you need is already there. Family. Love. Peace of mind. That’s it.

There are times, though, when you want to emulate Claudia (Kirsten Dunst) of “Interview With the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles” and say, “I want some more.” Well, she wanted more blood. Brrrrr. But the more you have, the more you want, until you’re building more houses to display all your possessions.

Christmas is the celebration of Jesus’ birthday. But people seem to have forgotten that. It has become the season to buy, buy and buy. And to “party party party / Di ole a dem sexy sexy sexy.” Oh, well.