Gabriella Wong, 16, Diocesan Girls' School
Where were you last Christmas? I was out in a shopping mall, surrounded by fake Santas, people dressed as elves and a large sign with the word 'Christmas sales'.
Our festive seasons have been hijacked by businesses and turned into periods of shameless profiteering. Businesses use our festivals to sell products: chocolate eggs at Easter, mooncakes at the Mid-Autumn Festival, roses on Valentine's Day.
They have led us to believe that such products are must-have items during our festivals.
We, too, are to blame. We find excuses to buy them. And as we do so, we pay scant attention to the original meaning of each festival. We often don't even know why we even celebrate a festival. After all, how many people reflect on the birth, life and deeds of Jesus Christ during Christmas?
Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus. It's not meant to be a chance to do some shopping.