Macy's brings out their samples of decorated Christmas trees in August. Michael's has displays of Christmas crafts and reindeer made out of sticks by the end of September. And television run Christmas sales commercials weeks before Halloween! I just don't get why we can't make it through Thanksgiving or Halloween or even the Autumnal Equinox without seeing tree ornaments and Christmas light displays and wrapping paper with little elves on them. The only reason I can come up with is that businesses are competing to get your first attention and awareness that Christmas is (still a ways off) around the corner. For a while, Christmas hasn't been going to Jesus as strongly as it used to. It's been going to Consumerism.
How it bothers me terribly that while I am still considering what costume to wear for Halloween I am also prompted by advertisements to buy little Timmy an iPhone. When I used to think of Christmas gifts, a voice in my head used to say warmly and firmly "It is the season for giving and showing goodwill. I would love to give (insert object) to (insert person's name) because I care enough about (insert pronoun) to buy/make it for (repeat pronoun)." Now when I think of Christmas and gifts, a little TV ad comes into my brain with a tender, alluring little voice that whispers "It's the season of giving," but then an even bigger and obnoxious voice booms out "So go to (insert store name) and BUY BUY BUY!!!" And then I have to stress over saving enough money in the next few months to buy all the deserved presents for every single person I know. And yes of course if I could I would buy presents for everyone I know because I love to give. But it's not the season of goodwill that tells me to give, it's our Consumerist country that tells me to give, and it has a different motive to make me want to give besides out of the goodness of my heart. It's because businesses want my money.Sure, advertisements may tell you they want you to give out of the goodness of your heart, but what they really want want you to do is spend as much as you can. They are really saying "The more presents you buy for your child/parents/aunt/sweetheart/distant never-met-before great Uncle the happier they will be . . . and the more you buy from us the happier we will be!"
Why do we need to make the entire Autumn season about celebrating the Holidays? Okay, I will admit, I do start sneaking a listen of Christmas music in early October. And honestly I think it's cute that a Resident Director back at TMC has already put up a Christmas tree in her apartment (it makes me look forward to decorating my living room even more). Okay, so it's not necessarily getting into the holiday spirit two months before Christmas that bothers me. I just hate seeing Christmas commercials popping up on my TV or during Hulu commercial breaks, and I'm annoyed when I see stores already setting up Christmas displays even before Halloween. Consumerism, please, let me celebrate Christmas for what it's really about and stop turning it into a commercial holiday like you did to poor Valentines Day.
By the way, I would say "let's celebrate Christmas for what it originally was for," because then what I would be saying is let's celebrate the Pagan holiday Saturnalia that Christians decided to change into a day of celebrating the birth of Jesus so they would get rid of the "week long period of lawlessness" (see website link on bottom for more info on Saturnaila). What I want to say is "let's celebrate Christmas for what it was created by Christians to be for." I want to remember to recognize Christmas as a Holy day to worship and give thanks to God for sending us His son. And I don't want my future children or grandchildren to get confused when at Christmas time I ask "do you know why we celebrate Christmas?" And also, if you are a reader who is not Christian, though I do urge you to consider the significance of Christmas from a Christian's point of view, but if you are a reader who is not a Christian, at least see Christmas as a time of giving, yes, giving, and a time of goodwill. Don't just BUY BUY BUY so you can do what the commercials tell you to do, but also remember that Christmas, although I wish it were heavily emphasized all year round, is a time to show kindness and provide for those less fortunate. The spirit of goodwill and giving that Christmas brings is not meant to be in greed or for the purpose of bringing yourself in the spotlight ("Isn't Aunt Dot wonderful for hosting Christmas dinner and decorating her home so festively," "I love my Mommy and Daddy so so much because they gave me everything on my wish list this year!") but to show the kindness that Christ demonstrated during His life and the kindness of provision and love that He still gives to us now.
Remember the more important things that are practiced during the holidays besides buying things. Remember the needy people who don't have homes or food to eat or heavy coats to keep them warm. Make yourself aware of the people in your life who don't have friends or family to celebrate with. Try buying fewer, smaller, and inexpensive gifts and use that extra money to donate blankets or food to a homeless shelter. Use that extra money to fill a shoe box for the Operation Christmas Child of Samaritan's Purse. What I like to do is throughout the year I put any spare change I have into a jar and around December I cash it all in and buy canned goods or blankets from the thrift store and donate them to the homeless shelter, or just keep that change with me until I see someone from the Salvation Army ringing a bell outside a shopping center. There are other organizations who provide support to the less fortunate during the holidays (and again I wish terribly that sharing goodwill was heavily emphasized throughout the year and not just during Thanksgiving and Christmas). And you don't have to give money to non-profits in order to show kindness. There are ways for you to show goodwill without spending money, If you know of a college student, a coworker, or a friend who cannot make it back home to see their family for Christmas, invite them over for your Christmas celebrations. Christmas day isn't just for spending it with family. It's open to whoever needs your company, and no one should be alone on Christmas.References
http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/Christmas_TheRealStory.htm
http://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/
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