The tree is up, the presents are placed, the lights are on, and invitations are sent for our family Christmas gathering. After all is done, I am left contemplating whether the winter money drain known as Christmas is really up to the hype. While one of my friends dislikes it because of the way people put on some sort of phony mask on only for this time of the year, I dislike it for the concentrated peer pressure of giving presents. It’s hard for me to come up with a present for everybody, let alone finance it. Furthermore, I have a tendency to give friends useful things rather than consumables. Finally, would it not be better if I gave presents on someone’s birthday instead? After all, birthdays require effort to remember… Christmas does not.
Ultimately, Christmas is a great time for friends and family to gather. For Christians, it is a time for us to commemorate the birth of the Saviour who took on the world’s sins and to strive to follow Him by repenting. If I don’t show up with presents, just remember that I still care about you. Happy Holidays!
Unfortunately, Christmas has become too much of a holiday where one person strives to outdo the other. Christmas is supposed to be a holiday of peace. Go into your local Wal-Mart or mall this time of the year, and you will find very quickly that it is nothing but peaceful. People are shoving their way through the aisles. This person gets furious because the store is out of the latest and greatest gadget. The other person stands in the aisle and blocks the flow of traffic for others. It is extremely stressful, and that is on the best of cases. If something horrible happens during this time of the year, Christmas quickly becomes a month-long nightmare to endure. I share your frustration with this time of the year, and I wished that people would stop and remember those who aren’t rich enough to buy presents (like myself), and remember those things that those people do throughout the year.
When I was living in South America, I recieved a total of 5 gifts (little things, like a pair of 50 cent earrings) for Christmas. It’s really been blown out of proportion here. All of this mass consumerism is suffocating all the jolliness out of the holidays. *sigh*
Your mention of giving on birthdays is brilliant. It’s definitely a more personal time. I couldn’t agree with you more!