TWO SONGS prominently feature September in their lyrics. One talks about seeing you when summer is gone, and the other reminds us to wake up when it ends.
While the first song hit the airwaves in the mid-60s, the second only became a hit in ’04, although it was written in 1982. To add to this continuing trivia, there’s a third song which heralds the start of the Christmas season in this country. And no, there’s not even a mention of the month of September in its text.
Up till now, I’m still unsure whether to treat this fancy with the start of brr months as a good or a bad thing. In this age of social media, the artist who wrote and popularized the said third title is endlessly (if not eternally) promoted and featured months prior as the topic of countless memes that warn (or rather inform) us that whenever September comes, it’s time to decorate the tree.
This phenomenon must have seen countless discussions at our breakfast table and during the last one, it led me to proclaim, finally, ‘one of the best marketing ploys so far, and nobody’s still on to it!’
Depends on how one looks at this whole love affair with September. For one, the business people always view it as an extended holiday period to sell their wares. A Strike-while-the-iron-hot kind of thing. After all, it’s a fact that people tend to spend more during holidays.
For the many consumers, however, toiling from January to August merits one a wellness boost. I wrote in one article: “Here, most of us Pinoys believe that, despite all the struggles we faced from the months of January up to August, come the first of September, things will slowly begin to take on a new (and more positive) turn somewhat.
For one, Christmas songs will begin their gradual takeover of the airwaves and every shopping mall’s house music. The establishments’ facades will likewise undergo a slow transformation as the days roll on.
In fact, the city’s foremost malls, SM, Abreeza, Vista, and the Gaisanos, have already begun installing Christmas lights and displays in their stores. D
All these, to lighten up our mental pathways somewhat with the thought that better times are definitely up ahead. Never mind that here, Christmas starts in September and ends mid-January.
Never mind that it’s a profiteering ploy by business. What’s to see is this: as a people, we always look forward to celebrating, and doing so with loved ones, family, and friends. Perhaps this is the greatest passion ever for us Filipinos.
Have you ever counted how many holidays we celebrate in a year? There are fiestas, festivals, foundation days, heroes’ birth and death anniversaries, and so on, not to mention Holy Week and Muslim holidays.
Truth is, we always find hope, joy, and happiness in little things, and hearing Christmas carols and welcoming the cooling breeze are just some of them. Who cares if many of us use these as excuses for R & R or respite from the day-to-day undertakings; this is a good thing, right?
In the end, just accept we’re nothing but a unique bunch of happy, smiling, and sturdy people who know how to appreciate a good thing and anticipate an up-and-coming good time.
As a dear friend used to say, work hard and rest easy. Let September be our downfall when it comes to thinking because we’ve worked hard the whole year round; it’s time to ease on up ahead. At least until January comes. Wake me up by then.
