Silent Night

I like staying in on the Silent Night instead of going out. In Hong Kong, Christmas is celebrated in a way I cannot agree with. I do not understand the people counting down in front of the big screen of Time Square or around the Clock Tower of Tsim Sha Tsui. Silent Night is meant to be silent. Instead of squeezing through the crowd in downtown, I had a simple meal with my parents and I thanked God for giving us Jesus Christ when I said the grace before meals - I am not a good Christian and seldom am I a grateful person but even the sinner can be touched by the holy air of Christmas.

Unfortunately, we haven't got a turkey for Christmas since Dad retired. It was one of the reasons for my being a Christmas fan. I liked turkeys because they are the biggest birds I have ever seen in our kitchen. Of course it would be even better if they showed up alive but that would not be realistic at our home.

I imagined how cold, crowded, noisy and nauseous it can be outside. The soup was a bit too sweet. My Dad complained about his dry skin. Mum defended why she placed two dished on a plate. The vegetable turned cold quickly because of the weather and we do not switch on the heater before my parents go to bed. Things were trivial but usually the most trivial piece of memory is the last to vanish as we grow old. Sometimes I cannot tell are we still growing up or are we growing old already, especially in Winter. I always imagine myself sitting next to a burning fire in an old grate, knitting, with the television on.

I started my research on the topics for model UN conference which is to be held in early January. Now I would say I should have chosen to read a few pages of those old English story books instead. The weather is cold but I did not shiver, not until I read about all the brutalities against women, not until I read about different types of human trafficking.

In Hong Kong, Christmas might be more a festivals for love birds than for families and the single troop often complains about having a lonely Christmas. Who doesn't want a boyfriend/husband to cuddle with in this chilly season of the year but what if your intimate partner is your abuser?

I was planning to isolate myself from the wide wild world and have a peaceful Silent Night in my room but now I am just stirred up and feeling sorry. Maybe reading news was not the best choice to 'isolate myself from the wide wild world'.