That holly-jolly and selfish time of the year is here again. Yes, I am talking about Christmas.
Stores across America once again dragged out their Christmas decorations at the same time as they revealed their Halloween ones.
In my opinion, the Christmas displays are more frightening than the Halloween decorations will ever be. It is actions like this that highlight the problems with our current holiday season.
We function first as consumers and later as givers during this time of year. That is not the “Christmas Spirit” we idealize. Real “Christmas Spirit” should focus on what you’re giving others rather than what you want to receive from them. It is supposed to be a trade-off but instead it has been transformed to fit perfectly into contemporary consumer society. As “A Charlie Brown Christmas” put it, “Christmas is not only getting too commercial, it’s getting too dangerous.”
Unfiltered consumption is dangerous. Every year the Christmas season not only brings joy it also brings the harsh realization of poverty. Many children expect to receive gifts, and if they don’t, then Santa’s abandoned them.
This is the danger of promoting consumption this holiday season. We need to bring back the spirit of Christmas to curb the danger of American kids expecting what won’t necessarily come. Black Friday doesn’t need to be the start of Christmas season. Americans need to believe in the powers of giving if they want to remain intact with the holiday’s roots.
I’m not against Christmas, I’m against the way it’s being celebrated. I don’t want to hear holiday jingles in October or see twinkly lights either.
These are all marketing techniques to put us in the buying mood and I’m not going to give into it. Resist buying a bunch of stuff this Christmas because I can guarantee that a simple yet authentic holiday will matter so much more in the long run.
It’s time for a serious holiday revamp. Let’s return to the origins of a holiday and throw out our overly commercial celebration. We can go back to a time when the lyrics of Christmas songs actually applied to our celebration.
This year, instead of creating a mile-long wish list, spend some time volunteering at a soup kitchen. If you give back the spirit that you’ve created will mean so much more than any gift will.
You don’t have to be a Grinch, go ahead, celebrate Christmas, but it’s time to bring back the spirit of Christmas.