The dearth of Christmas lights and decorations this past Yuletide Season was so glaring that one could hardly feel the spirit of Christmas in the air. In previous years, decorations were being set up as early as September. But this year, houses that decorated were few and far apart. In our street of about 30 houses, there were only, at most, 6 that did. The same was true with other streets and villages. The long lines at the cashiers' and gift wrapping booths at the malls were nonexistent.


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