Well it will soon be on us again, yes that's right it's the time of year where we all spend far too much, eat too much, drink too much, and generally over do things for the sake of a celebration of the birth of someone special. But how many of us really think about the true meaning of Christmas, how many kids out there know the real reason for celebrating Christmas?? Not all that many really.
So has Christmas become too commercialised?
Well have a look at this decorated tree...
Now for me this is just a tad overdone. I mean you casn hardly tell it's a tree with all those decorations and lights. It is a case of buying too much to try to impress, and that is one thing that I have noticed about Christmas, people worry that gifts they bring and buy, are not going to be accepted in a favourable light.
I hate that, the very fact that it was bought in the first place is good enough, I mean I would rather get a handmade present that cost a few pounds, than something that costs hundreds. Why? because something handmade in my opinion has more heart in it than anything that can be bought.
The above image is of a wooden moose puzzle, it doesn't look much, but to a kid who gets nothing at Christmas, it is a ray of light in a dark world, it brings a smile of joy to their face, isn't that what it's about?
Years ago my grandparents would get a wooden toy, an orange, a piece of coal, and if they were lucky some chocolate in their stockings, and that is when a stocking really was a sock.
Not now though sadly, now if a kid got that they would really be upset. But what about the true meaning of Christmas. Let's just put the picture straight here I am in no way a religious person, I don't go to church very often, I don't pray, and I think the bible is just a bunch of stories (I am in trouble for that!). But what I do believe is that we should remember Christmas as the birth of Jesus rather than the fact we get loads of pressies.
Last year I went to the first Christmas Nativity in a very long time, at our local Church, I took my daughter who was 5 at the time and she was lucky enough to be an angel in the acted out nativity. She loved every minute of it, But I loved it more! There was something very uplifting about singing carols in the church and I am definitely going again this year. The closest I got to a feeling like that was when I lived in Lincoln and went to the Christmas Market there. Luckily it started to snow at about 11pm, as a load of us gathered around carol singers, standing under the shadow of Lincoln Cathedral, holding a bag of hot chestnuts. Bliss!
.jpg)
So has Christmas become too commercialised? Well for me it has, it wont stop me enjoying it though.
Last weekly question: Do you surf at work?
Yes (Tea breaks and lunch) - 0%, Yes ( less than 1 Hour) - 20%, Yes (1-2 hours) - 10%, Yes (2-3 hours) -30%, Yes (3 hours+) - 20%, Plead the 5th - 20%
2 comments:
I totaly agree with you Dave. I wish we didn't have to give presents to each other. It makes us completely forget why we're doing it and what a headache it is trying to get the "perfect" gift for the "perfect" person. I come from a family who did make everything for Christmas and I agree with you that it means so much more to get things handmade. But, I don't have a lot of talent in that department (especially coming from a family who has loads of talent) and I always feel weak in the handmade categories. Soooo, I buy, I fret, I worry, I spend way too much money and I forget that Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, not the giving of gifts. Why can't we just all get together and have birthday cake?
The other thing as well Kim is the amount of people we buy gifts for. It's not just imediate family anymore, it's friends, distant relatives, work colleagues and so on.
Whenever there is a new addition to the family fold, we don't tend to think "Oh this is lovely", more on the lines of "Oh no another present to buy!"
Having said that, I can't wait to see what I am going to get for Christmas, Can you??? ;)
Post a Comment