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12/26/2004 12:53:10 PM · #1 |
A few years ago I had the fortune to live with, and spend Christmas with, a Christian family that included husband, wife and three kids (I am not of the Christian faith, btw). What I woke up to on Christmas morning was a living room full of gifts that started out under the Christmas tree and extended to almost every square inch of floor. Each member of the family received gifts numbering in the tens. For instance, the youngest girl, 7 at the time, got about 5 barbie dolls and every conceivable accessory that goes with it that was sold. The older kids got the usual playstations, electronics, and what not. To say the least, I was astonished at this excessiveness and amazed at how much garbage and waste in packaging this produces. when I asked my friend how much it all cost, he told me in the tens of thousands and that he would be paying it off for the next 6 months.
This morning I woke up and put the radio on for the purpose of hearing a certain Christmas song I liked that I heard for the first time yesterday, only to find that all Christmas music, at least on commercial radio, had stopped. I guess these stations figured that since there wasn't anything left to sell for Christmas there was no need to play any more Christmas music.
These types of holidays can be wonderful family experiences, but with all the commercialism that have overtaken them I'm wondering where the spirit of christ has gone. What do you think he would say about it all? Is this something that most Christian familys do? Am I the only one who feels jaded by the whole thing? |
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12/26/2004 01:03:23 PM · #2 |
No, you're certainly not the ony on who feels that way. But IMO the vast majority of folks don't go to that level of excess. I did grow up close to someone who could not stop when it came to Xmas gifts, and the excess was noticed by others. I prefer to give my kids a couple nice gifts, something they really wanted. I cannot see going into debt for Xmas, if I don't have the cash I won't buy the gift. I make exception only for those things I can pay off within the month, before being charged any interest.
LOL, the Xmas music thing is so funny. It's like turning off the fire hose the morning after Xmas. We have a local station that plays 100% Xmas music starting at Thanksgiving (!!), but the day after Xmas... nothing.
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12/26/2004 01:04:12 PM · #3 |
The commercial aspect of Christmas is a huge one. There are many business who depend solely on the Christmas season to make a profit. There are entire economies built around the Christmas season. I'm not sure if there is anything 'wrong' with it, but when I see some of the things I see, it makes me wonder about the 'spirit' of Christmas.
It never fails... EVERY day after Thanksgiving, when the local retailers start their 'sales', I read a story or two in the newspaper about people being arrested for fighting over the hottest gift items in the stores, that usually sell out on that Friday. Alcohol related 'death by motor vehicle' is always higher during the Christmas season also.
I manage to avoid most of this. I'm one of those rare breeds of people who enjoys the gift giving experience of Christmas, but I usually have all of my shopping done before Thanksgiving. I finished a majority of my shopping this year by the end of August. I refuse to participate in the shopping rush during the month of December. I never buy much of anything on credit either. If I can't afford it with the money I have now, I don't buy it. I can't stand the thoughts of paying interest on anything that I don't absolutely have to.
As for the true spirit of Christmas... that is something that we can, if we want to, enjoy on our own or with our friends. I don't 'see' much of it these days, but it's still there if you dig deep enough for it.
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12/26/2004 01:24:26 PM · #4 |
Christmas can be whatever you want to make of it, and the spirit of Christ can be wherever you want to find him. It's a matter of making a conscious decision as to what you want to buy into--the material/commercial part, the spiritual part, or a balance between the two.
Our Christmas eve tradition is to take ham biscuits and cookies to the local fire station and rescue squad, then to come home and get ready for Santa. Like kirbic, we don't over-induldge our kids, but we do let them experience the magic of receiving at least one thing that they believed was completely out of reach.
Then, yesterday at lunch, we delivered 30+ lunch bags that the kids had packed with biscuits, cookies, candies, and oranges to a local hospital's version of Ronald McDonald house. This was my children's idea, and it was really brought home to them when the director told them how they had helped bring a light into another-wise dark time for people who couldn't be home for Christmas.
Just like photography, images are all around us; it's just up to us to decide what we want to capture and how we want it to affect us. |
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12/26/2004 02:44:40 PM · #5 |
The way America intermingles business, politics and religion is distateful to many Christians. If you think this is not what Christ would prefer, think about who benefits from the persent system, and who has the power to change it. Don't direct all your disgust at those who just go along with it because they don't know any better.
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12/29/2004 01:33:18 PM · #6 |
"I think there's been a kind of demoralization of the culture, a dumbing-down of the culture, and an extraordinary ascendancy of materialistic and anti-idealistic values...I think back on my own life, the single most amazing phenomenon is the discrediting of idealism. And that was a gradual process. You can call it the triumph of consumerism...Very few people have the nerve to stand up for moral principles or have a sense of the right of criticism that's part of our national culture."
Quote of Susan Sontag, who passed away last night.
Does the excessiveness of the consumerism of Christmas distract from the spiritualism and word of Christ? Do children learn that Santa Clause has supplanted Jesus Christ? I think so...why aren't more Christians speaking up about this bastardization of their holiday? |
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12/29/2004 02:30:33 PM · #7 |
I guess I'm unusual. To a very real extent, I still believe in the magic of Santa and the spirit of Christmas. For my family, it's a time to get together, share stories, and try to find something special for someone else that they would never think of getting.
For me, Christmas is summed up in this story. Several years ago my high school was doing one of those "sponser a family for the holiday" projects. The family my class got a family with three kids. The oldest kid had practical things on his list, new shoes, socks, clothes. When our advisor asked the project coordinator about it, she explaned that the oldest wanted to make sure his younger siblings got what they wanted for Christmas. He wanted one thing and knew he couldn't get it. So he defered to his younger siblings. Hela (my advisor) asked what the oldest wanted. A new bike. Not a cheap thing to be sure.
It just so happened that I had a BMX bike in almost pristine condition. I loved that bike. Washed it once a week, rode it everywhere. I was a senior in high school, and getting set to go to college. It was a no brainer.
Christmas Day 1992 in Colorado Springs, Colorado a young boy learned that Santa does exist. The fact that Santa in this case was played by an 18 year old high schooler didn't matter.
Christmas is what you make it. Bottom line.
Happy Holidays.
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12/29/2004 02:39:34 PM · #8 |
| Me and my step daughter shes 14 have had issues over this. She doesnt believe in Santa Clause. She wants to blurt it out and say things like why tell a kid a lie. Tell them about the birth of Jesus instead. Kind of hard when you have small kids around. Well I do want to teach them the bible and the day of Christmas is about Jesus birth and still let them believe in Santa Clause wich is a fairytale and a spirtit thing to me. Me and my husband struggled this year to buy them what they really wanted and it left one gift for each of them or 1 phone for Ashley, 2 small train sets for Zach and Casey a toy. Well I had a wrote a letter to Santa along with my sons creative letter and mailed it to Santa at the north pole. My mail carrier had called me and on Christmas eve a bunch of gifts were brought by from the post office for them and even our grandchild Josh. It was like a miracle to me. I cant describe how I felt in words. It really gave me so much more than what I believe in. It restored my faith and trust in people where the news and such rush or madness at christmas had given me an attitude. On Christmas morning when Ashley got her phone (something she wanted for the past year and always saying things like "My friends have them, or I am saving up money, or why cant daddy by me a phone?") I do believe what I felt the night before she was feeling too. Its the magic and spirit that people tend to forget. Or the thought that counts, the true gift is giving not receiveing, cause you always will get back so much more. And as for the issue of Santa Clause I do think that this has made her a believer atleast in the magic of it. And maybe she talk more about how special Santa Clause is instead. |
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12/29/2004 02:42:10 PM · #9 |
A few random thoughts on Christmas from a year-round seeker of Christ...
1) Let's face it, it was a 'pagan' holiday to begin with...
2) The tradition of giving gifts isn't the problem cauing the commercialization of another holiday. It's the value we place on material things that is causing the problem.
3) I have to mentally dichotomize my celebration of Christmas...
The first is my metaphorically quite celebration and remembrance of God's entrance into this world in humble fashion. This is usually a personal, spiritual, reflective, go-for-a-walk, sing old german hymns celebration.
The second is the dirty, smily-faced, plasticized commercial pretend-to-be-caring-for-a-day jinglefest that I am getting jaded about...the nice thing is, there are true and good byproducts of the mood that the major retailers are selling at that time of year...fun with loved ones, christmas trees, happy kids, turkey, and yes, even Santa...
True and good things can be found, even amongst the crass commercial side of Christmas...Kids don't know who Santa is because of the legends being passed down. They know because retailers need them to know who Santa is...let's get real about that.
Message edited by author 2004-12-29 14:43:41.
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12/29/2004 03:08:43 PM · #10 |
Christmas still is a pagan celebration which has endured for many hundreds of years, as has the Christian festival. It is also a time of over-indulgence both with gifts and food.
The commercialization can only be blamed on us, for we buy the increasingly expensive presents our children beg for during October thru to December. It is an easy option to blame the excesses on the manufacturers and retailers, but they are there all year long, not just at Christmas. We fuel the rush to spend.
Whether you are pagan or Christian, it is you all who determine how Christmas should be celebrated. We all want and dream of things that are beyond our reach financially, so we work to get our little prizes. A child has to learn that he/she cannot have everything he/she wants when the budget won't stretch. No, is a hard word to say to a child who has seen the latest toy on TV or in a shop, but it has to be used.
Teach your children whatever means most within you and your family, whether the birth of Jesus Christ or the Pagan winter solstice celebration, allow them to feel the excitement and wonder of Christmas within their hearts. Why have that glow of gift giving just for the Christmas holiday...teach your family and friends that there are 12 months in a year, 365 days in which to give, love and respect others! |
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12/29/2004 03:53:21 PM · #11 |
This is exactly what I'm driving at!
Gift giving is a wonderful thing and makes for warm feelings to both receiver and giver. I just object to the excessiveness of it when pushed to do so by marketing and commercialization, and when it's substituted for the real meaning of these holidays as defined by the families themselves.
To me, the real gift to be given, any time of the year, is your time and not your money. A gift that's given only in the form of a material good eventually leaves the receiver empty if not also accompanied by spending time with that person. If parents have to run around buying a lot of gifts for the holiday, and then have to work extra hours at work to pay them off, then family life and the spirituality associated with these holidays is lost, imo.
Originally posted by Formerlee:
The commercialization can only be blamed on us, for we buy the increasingly expensive presents our children beg for during October thru to December. It is an easy option to blame the excesses on the manufacturers and retailers, but they are there all year long, not just at Christmas. We fuel the rush to spend.
Whether you are pagan or Christian, it is you all who determine how Christmas should be celebrated...Teach your children whatever means most within you and your family, whether the birth of Jesus Christ or the Pagan winter solstice celebration, allow them to feel the excitement and wonder of Christmas within their hearts. Why have that glow of gift giving just for the Christmas holiday...teach your family and friends that there are 12 months in a year, 365 days in which to give, love and respect others! |
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12/29/2004 04:20:11 PM · #12 |
| Kind of like the feeling I had but I cant derscribe it in words. Yes it should come from the heart and it should be year round too. In my towns news paper they have been publishing letters to the editors and there have been many stories describing about the good in Christmas and how people are are helping others here is a great story the title is We can have Jesus and Santa |
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