Devoid of the Spirit

 

                                               (image: youtube.com)

Kinahanglan mahamok hasta mabibo.

Materialism inevitably surfaces during the Christmas season, as seen when teachers express concern over delayed salaries and benefits, claiming they cannot prepare meaningful activities for their class celebrations. This reflects how holiday expectations, particularly the need to provide food, gifts, or tokens, have become intertwined with a sense of adequacy and responsibility, revealing a socially reinforced material pressure that extends even into professional spaces.

The emphasis on food, gifts, branded items, and elaborate gatherings illustrates a form of relational materialism, where goods serve as symbols of affection, gratitude, or social responsibility rather than personal luxury. In a society where pamasko, aguinaldo, and gift exchanges are embedded in tradition, material giving functions as a mechanism for maintaining social ties and avoiding hiya (shame) or perceptions of inadequacy.

Scholars note that Filipino holiday practices blend cultural obligation with consumption-based expectations. Pertierra (2002) and Rafael (1993) observe that Filipino social life is deeply shaped by utang na loob, pakikisama, and the moral economy of giving, which often manifest in material expressions during communal events. These practices reveal that gift-giving is not merely transactional but an essential part of sustaining relationships and social identity.

Yet while material pressures grow, the spiritual essence of Christmas often recedes into the background. At its core, Christmas is a profoundly religious celebration, inviting believers into quiet reflection on the mystery of the Incarnation, how God became flesh and embraced humility by being born in a manger. The hymn Silent Night, Holy Night reinforces this contemplative dimension, reminding us that the true meaning of the season lies in stillness, reverence, and the simplicity of the nativity story rather than in noise or excess.

At the same time, commercialization shapes expectations. Retailers and product-driven industries craft marketing strategies designed to entice consumption, defining what a “proper” Christmas should look like. These campaigns often leave many feeling stressed or inadequate when they cannot purchase cakes, lechon, ham, or other holiday staples. In effect, the pressure to consume has subtly replaced the simplicity of celebration, turning what should be a meaningful tradition into a source of anxiety.

This societal pressure may also explain why feelings of depression tend to intensify during the season. Ready-made “templates” of merriment, abundance, fulfillment, and constant cheer, contrast sharply with personal realities, leaving individuals with a painful sense of inadequacy or isolation. The pressure to perform happiness, rather than experience it authentically, becomes an emotional strain that overshadows the season’s genuine significance.

To counter this, we must reclaim the power to define happiness on our own terms. True joy cannot flourish when we are burdened by debt simply to meet society’s prescribed standards of celebration. Contentment emerges not from external conformity but from embracing simplicity, authenticity, and the values that genuinely nourish well-being.

Ultimately, Christmas should awaken the heart, not empty the pocket. True celebration lies in love, presence, and gratitude, not in the weight of material expectation.