Its the holiday season and everyone is out shopping buying gifts for their family and loved ones. Everyone except me! lol I decided to write about it because of the crazy looks I get when I'm asked if I'm done with my Christmas shopping and my response is "I don't buy Christmas gifts". I just thought I'd explain my point of view and gather some opinions from others.
I decided a few years ago that I would no longer buy or accept Christmas gifts, or gifts for any other commercialized holiday (Valentines, Mothers Day, etc). Other than it being pointless (in my opinion), it puts a lot of pressure on people to buy things that they may can not afford and I would get sad after hearing about all the suicides that occurred because people couldn't afford to buy gifts for their kids. Tonight I saw a heartwarming story on the news. A family was having a hard time after the parents were injured in an accident. Some guy saw the story and decided to help. He bought them a new car along with cash and gift cards. They said that they would use the money to buy Christmas gifts for their kids. WHY?! You're out of work and you're buying gifts? Shouldn't that money go towards living expenses and other necessities? I don't get it. Now I don't have children so I won't say that the parents should teach their children the true meaning of Christmas or the holiday season in general, and that those children should be made to understand the blessing that they received from the stranger. Oh did I just say it? hahaha The kids were pre-teens by the way. Its about time for them to know the truth anyway right?
Now I do believe in God.. And regardless of whether its actually Jesus' birthday or not, its a time we should set aside and give thanks for our salvation. I think the holiday season is great for spending time with your family since its the only time a lot of people get to visit with their loved ones. Its also a great time to just have some time off and reflect on the ending year and prepare for the next. So should this joyous time be sabotaged by the selfishness of receiving gifts, unappreciative kids, and depression of families who spent way too much money on things that will be destroyed or tossed away within a few months? Its just ridiculous.
Now don't get me wrong, I know that this will NEVER change (or even that it should), I'm just expressing my opinion on the matter. Of course as a child, there was no greater feeling than writing out my Christmas list, sneaking under the Christmas tree with my brother and trying to figure out what was in the boxes with our names on it, and waking up early Christmas morning to open my presents. I plan to do the same with my children when the time comes. But I refuse to be pressured by these big companies to buy things that they won't need or will even want a week after Christmas. The commercialized holidays are such a tragedy. I don't need a specified day of the year to show anyone that I care about them. If you're really loved, it'll be shown. But maybe I'm just a Scrooge. Maybe I'm just a tight wad. Whomp whomp.
No comments:
Post a Comment