I'll call it inner Scrooge.

@moirai never apologize for a super long reply. I love more elaborate comments an md discussions! I meant they should turn the day into an act of kindness and instead of asking for money they should go around finding ways to help others and not accepting money for it. Here they only do caroling with Boy Scout troops and Girl Scout troops but no one takes money for it. I think what you have to deal with there is just teaching kids to be rude and greedy going around begging like that basically. Let them call you a Scrooge oh well that tradition seems outdated and not in the spirit with the holiday season at all!

@shaggin Yes, it is begging, basically. Most of them are from poor families, and since Christmas is supposedly a 'time for giving', they, being less fortunate, somehow think they are entitled to be given something. The sad thing is, this is probably something that their parents teach them or encourage them to do, and in the future, it will be what they will teach their children. So I doubt that this will eventually become something where they are the ones who give (do that act of kindness). I just read an old (year-old) blog about the anti-begging laws here. (I am aware that we do have some laws about that because I've seen signs or posters about it in the city - "it is unlawful to give to beggars" - but I haven't really read the whole law yet. I might do that one of these days.) As the blog mentions, Christmas carolers are apparently included or affected by the law as well. I find this interesting, and it is probably accurate because I remember some years back, it was in the news that carolers need to ask permission first when they want to enter a certain community. Maybe that's the reason why adult carolers are very rare to absent nowadays. We don't mind adult carolers so much. They are usually choirs and other such groups from other towns. And when they carol, they really sing and they're nice to listen to. And we are fairly certain that they will only come by once and move on. The kids... (oh my...) most of them just sing (read: shout) very loudly and bang very vigorously on their 'drums' (tin cans). And they (same kids, more or less) come by night after night after night. They pretty much make caroling into some sort of money-making scheme. Needless to say, that law isn't being implemented very strictly.

Hmm... I somehow don't think that's going to happen... I can hope, I guess, but I don't know... Before, it's only during Christmas caroling. I wonder what it is like in your country? Here, normally, kids (usually) go around houses during the Christmas season and sing carols, and they expect (or hope) to be given money. Do people do that in your place? Go house to house singing carols? Or do they normally just stand around at a certain place (near malls or church or at the side of streets) and people approach them and put money or stuff in a can or basket or hat near them? Something like that? Here, when the kids come and sing Christmas carols, they expect to be given money. If the people in the house gives them money, they sing "thank you, ang babait ninyo". Rough translation: you're good people. But if the people in the house don't give them money, and sometimes even if they are given an amount smaller than what they hoped or expected, they sing "thank you, ang babarat ninyo". Rough translation: you're stingy people. But what I was describing in the post above doesn't even involve caroling. They just come and ask for money. Knock on your door, ring your doorbell, shout "namamasko po!!!", and they expect you to give them something. It's now December 26 morning, I opened our store again. And while typing up this reply, a group of kids knocked again. I went out thinking they were buying something at the store, but it turns out they were just namamasko. And even after I initially said no at the gate, they followed me to the store and they kept staring at me expecting something. I had to tell them that I didn't know who they were, they weren't my godchildren, it was a store, are they buying something, etc, before they went away. I'm actually lucky, they were just small kids. They just looked at me and went away. If these were a little older (pre-teens, teens), I wouldn't be surprised if they'll be more vocal and say within my earshot something like "ang damot mo!" meaning you're selfish. Sadly, this could be a result of people doing acts of kindness for others. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying people shouldn't help others. But I mean... I think this results from people giving before, then the receiver expects the same the next time around, and the next, and the next. So now, they don't just expect it, they ask for it actively. You know what I mean? They say if you want to help someone, don't give them fish to eat. Instead, teach them how to fish. Anyway, sorry for the super long reply. It's just that this 'people asking me for money' thing is a big issue for me. In any case, hope you had a good Christmas.

I believe that as well. As I mentioned, I believe that giving should be voluntary. It should come from the giver. They give because they want to, not because they feel they have to. But just as there are traditions in your place, giving aginaldo (gift) has been the tradition here. But, like I said, the tradition has been receiving aginaldo from godparents primarily, and other family like aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc., secondarily. I am not averse to giving the children of my cousins a little something (money or gifts) if they come and visit me on Christmas. But I have never personally experienced expecting aginaldo from total strangers when I was a kid. We never went from house to house in our neighborhood, much less the next village and the next, to ask for aginaldo from strangers. But the kids nowadays do it in a similar fashion (I think) to your trick or treating during halloween. I think that is too much.

@moirai I hope you have A Merry Christmas.

@jstory07 You too! And Happy New Year, too.