Jesus? Who's that then? (Christmas and Commercialisation)

Member Name: Pingu

Product:	Christmas and Commercialisation
Date:	12/12/01 (220 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gives us a chance to become more Christian

Disadvantages: Few people do

Is Christmas too commercialised? Well ask yourself this. If you have no money this Christmas - in fact even if you're already overdrawn - can you imagine yourself giving no presents? Can you imagine giving your family and closest friends a simple "Merry Christmas!" and nothing else....

Of course you can't. There's a whole bunch of people you feel positively *obliged* to give a present to. Mum, Dad, Brothers, Sisters, Best Friend, mustn't forget Aunts or they might cut us out of their will, can't leave out John at work because he's going to buy me something and I'd feel really embarrassed saying thankyou if I didn't follow it with "And this is for you," etc. etc. etc.

The first subtle hint should be when it takes you hours to think of something to buy for each individual. If you're wracking your brains so hard, then they can hardly need anything. And yet you'll spend ages thinking of something you can buy anyway, just for the sake of it. You give it to them and they take it to be exchanged, whilst you throw away the crap they just bought you. And you're all a bit further in debt with nothing to show for it.

If you feel so obliged to give presents, that you'll do it even when it's putting you in debt, and when it's unlikely anyone needs the stuff you're buying, then obviously Christmas is over-commercialised.

Christmas is a time when we celebrate the birth of Christ. He never gave anyone a superficial present. No CDs, Playstation games, books, toys, gadgets, etc. When he gave, it was always what people really needed. And he always gave of himself - his time, his talents. Eventually he even gave his life to all of us.

And whilst the wise men brought Jesus gifts, the shepherds, who had nothing, didn't. They didn't feel obliged to take out loans so they could give him stuff he didn't need.

In all of our giving presents, most of
us become too busy to actually give gifts - our time, our talents. We're so busy Christmas shopping for people who don't need anything that we miss the beggars on the shopping streets, who really need us to give. We spend so much on Christmas that our giving to charity has to suffer for a few months.

Yes Christmas is over-commercialised. To the point where most people don't realise who Jesus was, and find it tiresome to interrupt Christmas to remember him.

Summary: