CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY

There is a rather subdued atmosphere at Christmastime in Melbourne this year, no doubt related to the Flinders St incident, but also perhaps because of the general state of the world, and tensions all around the globe. Still, people do make an effort and almost everyone I spoke to said they were "carrying on as usual, no matter what", which is admirable. Nevertheless, one knows everything is not OK and people do mind and everyone wishes things were different.

I did my Christmas shopping in the end, and strolling through the City in the early evening I managed to avoid crowds. The Myer windows were decorated (although they did look rather sparse and spartan this year), and the streets did look festive in their seasonal finery. The arcades were tarted up, yet somehow something was missing. My shopping was over and done with quickly and I went home rather quietly - we live in troubled times and no matter how strident the marketing hype, it's difficult to avoid confronting reality. The world is ailing and its wounds are many. It is up to us to heal them and the answer is not to be found in the shopping centres and consumer meccas...

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme.