Christmas has been good to me this year. I don't know, I don't seem to have that childlike happiness or excitement that comes along with Christmas anymore (perhaps because I've grown up way too fast), but this Christmas everything seems different. This Christmas actually lasted longer than most. This Christmas actually spanned a whole week for me, instead of only the 25th of December. This Christmas, I got the chance to purchase presents for my wonderful friends. This Christmas, I've received many wonderful gifts from my friends. And I thought that made me happy. I thought that that was what was going to set this Christmas apart from others. But that's not it. The ritual of giving and receiving gifts during Christmas is just what society deems a must and what capitalism encourages (for their benefit of course). I'm not saying that's it wrong to give and receive during Christmas. There is nothing wrong with it. I'm just saying that it's not the gist of it. Everyone's missing the point. Go to Orchard and you'll see capitalism at its peak. Is Christmas really all about buying the best/nicest/most present or receiving a nice present? It wasn't until the night of Christmas Eve when I was lying in bed, trying to fall asleep, when I had finally realized what I had been missing all along. I had been missing the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas was when God had sent his one and only son down to Earth to become one of us, to live like us and to die for us. God had degraded his son by sending him down to be like one of us. It's the greatest gift that anyone could ask for and I had totally overlooked that, only caring about the materialistic things this world has to offer which isn't permanent. That night, I realized that all this while I had been looking for happiness at all the wrong places. I had been looking for rest at all the wrong places. I had been looking for peace at all the wrong places. I had been looking for love at all the wrong places. Everything that I had been looking for was just right beside me. I only had to reach out for it. Everything that I had been looking for was in my God. I smiled the most genuine smile I have ever smiled in ages. I felt the happiest I had been in ages. I went to sleep feeling like a champ and woke up still feeling like a champ (heck yeah!). My God is real.

Christmas service was chaotic to say the least. Christmas carols were sung, the birth of Jesus was told, Daniel Khong preached, everything was the same as always. There was a humungous gift exchange throughout the Youthnet after service. Everyone brought their presents to the front of the hall and formed a mountain of presents. Then everyone would go back and pick a present. Ngl, I was eyeing so and so's (he is oddly attractive in the weirdest of ways) present but I didn't see what it looked like so I was like "Ah whatever". Now, what I'm gonna tell you next might or might not be funny depending on how I phrase everything and if I actually execute this story properly. But it was really funny. I went to the front and saw an envelope, so I was like "Ok cool, an envelope, I shall take that because it caught my eye first". You will never guess what was inside of it. I opened it to find a letter which read:

Congratulations for coming to this year's Gift Xchange, for if you had not done you would not have received my fabulous gift, a copy of Left 4 Dead 2. To receive your game, please email me at "johnathan.ng1@gmail.com"

If you don't play games yourself; or for any reason cannot accept this game, then you can email me to send it to someone a friend of your choosing.

Please accept my apologies for my totally illegible handwriting.

Merry Christmas
and God Bless

Panda

We were just all guffawing and laughing like mad and literally ROFLMAO. The 'act' formal tone and mediocre grammar just adds to it. Anyone wants a copy of Left 4 Dead 2? What are the odds that he's a 13 y.o. boy with geeky glasses and a scrawny build? 101%.

The Christmas party was very enjoyable with yummy roasted turkey, ham, chocolate fondue amongst many other wonderful food. I now need to hit the gym at least once this week.

Christmas 2010 is now officially over