Have the holidays become too commercial?
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SlayerThe
My
The holidays are far too commercial.
Christmas has turned from the day that we are supposed to remember a man who preached great things such as love, peace, forgiveness and many other noble acts into a commercialized holiday.
You do not have to be Christian to celebrate Christmas, members of other religions acknowledge that Jesus was a good and kind man.
As I told Cordelia on the phone one night, Christmas is now nothing but retail propaganda and Santa worship!
Christmas has turned from the day that we are supposed to remember a man who preached great things such as love, peace, forgiveness and many other noble acts into a commercialized holiday.
You do not have to be Christian to celebrate Christmas, members of other religions acknowledge that Jesus was a good and kind man.
As I told Cordelia on the phone one night, Christmas is now nothing but retail propaganda and Santa worship!
Willow Rosenberg
I might be just like you!
Yeah I dated a guy once who was Jewish, but his family ignored Hannukah and celebrated Christmas as it was the norm. I just think it's weird. My parents used to make my sister and I sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus on Christmas morning when we were little, before we were allowed to open our presents as a little way of reminding us what the holiday was really about.
If it's Chrismukkah, then you're forgetting Kwanza. It would have to be Chrismukwanza or something to that nature.
If it's Chrismukkah, then you're forgetting Kwanza. It would have to be Chrismukwanza or something to that nature.
S
SlayerThe
Or they could have went "The OC" route -- Chrismukkah
Jacklyn
Now a Scapenerd too...
LOL-I've celebrated Chrismakkuh all my life!
But, seriously, Christmas is not treated correctly at all! My 5 year old nephew told me the other day, after leaving religion class, "Did you know that it's Jesus' birthday on Christmas!" and I was so angry to have to correct him. "No, sweetie," I said, "It's Christmas BECAUSE it's Jesus' birthday." And he told me that he was never told that. He thought Christmas was just that day with Santa Claus.
It's like nobody remembers what the holiday is about anymore. Christmas was around LONG before Santa...and this rant is coming from someone who can't pick a religion, so I can imagine how religious folks must feel about it!
But, seriously, Christmas is not treated correctly at all! My 5 year old nephew told me the other day, after leaving religion class, "Did you know that it's Jesus' birthday on Christmas!" and I was so angry to have to correct him. "No, sweetie," I said, "It's Christmas BECAUSE it's Jesus' birthday." And he told me that he was never told that. He thought Christmas was just that day with Santa Claus.
It's like nobody remembers what the holiday is about anymore. Christmas was around LONG before Santa...and this rant is coming from someone who can't pick a religion, so I can imagine how religious folks must feel about it!
Willow Rosenberg
I might be just like you!
I still believe in the magic of Christmas, call me nostalgic, but I do. Especially when I go into NYC. I mean I always go see the Tree and Macy's Herald Square, but I also have to go to St. Patrick's Cathedral. It basically the pinnacle of my holiday season and is one of the reasons why I'd never want to leave the NYC area for the holidays.
Xander
You Can Call Me Ash
Cordelia said:
Sounds fun, I wanna do it. Shame about the vast oceany thingy, always in my way.
Anyway yeah its commercial and all that but its up to you to make it magical, maybe you aren't Christian but Christmas has become snymous (can never spell that) with Dec 25th so why not just enjoy the festive cheer.
: paw:
eponinethen
Majk
I definetly agree that the thing with christmas is totally changed, it's way too much about money these days.
I don't celebrate Christmas because of Jesus, I celebrate it cause it's the one tradition I love, and I don't think that's wrong. But I do think everyone should know that it has got to do with Jesus, everyone should remember that, of course, but I don't think it's wrong that the traditions and reasons have changed. To me Christmas is the only holiday I celebrate, and I love it. Many people complain about how stupid Christmas is and how boring it is.. Well, I still love it as much as when I was a kid, there's definetly spirit left in my Christmas, with the food and the people and everything, the presents and all, it's really nice in my opinion...
I don't celebrate Christmas because of Jesus, I celebrate it cause it's the one tradition I love, and I don't think that's wrong. But I do think everyone should know that it has got to do with Jesus, everyone should remember that, of course, but I don't think it's wrong that the traditions and reasons have changed. To me Christmas is the only holiday I celebrate, and I love it. Many people complain about how stupid Christmas is and how boring it is.. Well, I still love it as much as when I was a kid, there's definetly spirit left in my Christmas, with the food and the people and everything, the presents and all, it's really nice in my opinion...
S
Silve
Guest
Christmas has become waaay too commercial, and I think the media is trying to make too many people happy at once. Now it's "politically incorrect" to say "Merry Christmas", when the "proper" term is "Happy Holidays". I think it's incredibly stupid. I have some friends who are'nt Christian or Catholic, or don't even believe in Jesus or God, yet they still celebvrate this season as a time of everything warm and fuzzy. Hope, sharing, kindness, and family. But all the commercials and ads promoting "the holiday season" are just trying to make money off of something that is sacred to most people, and it's wrong.
lol yes, Chrismukkawanza...gotta love it.
lol yes, Chrismukkawanza...gotta love it.
E
eset
Guest
eponinethen said:
Changed from what? In the 1960s it was already incredibly commercialized (just look at Merry Christmas Charlie Brown!), and that was before everyone had to be PC all the time. Was it less comercialized in the 1800s? The 1600s? The middle ages? Sure. So was life. Life in industrialized nations has become increasingly commercialized since industrialization. It's just that people only tend to reralize it around Christmas time.
I remember when I would put in alot of effort and make gifts for people (I didn't get very much allowance from my parents), and i was really proud of each gift I gave. Now I don't make any of my gifts anymore, except fudge, in part because our culture tends to argue that if it's home made you're cheap. I still go to church every Christmas eve, and for me that's the religeous part. Let the stores and card companies and whoever else commercialize the 25th however they want. The 24th is mine.
eponinethen
Majk
Sorry eset, I'm not being myself today and neither are my posts it seems. I didn't explain myself very well, um, not at all I guess. What I meant is that it has changed a lot for me, the thing is, i didn't really notice the commercial thing until a few years ago, it never bothered me until then. I never realized how many people actually consider Christmas to be only annoying and hard, cause they have to get all these things done and buy presents and all the stress and so on, which also includes the money thing.. I didn't realize that kids actually compare how many presents they've got, how much their parents spent on them (that is so sad, I never did that when I was a kid). That's the sad part, that's what's changed for me.. Cause my own christmas is still as nice as it always was.. without the stress and present-buying-obsession...
I love Chrismas and I think that people have forgot what Chrismas is really about. I think it is about enjoying time with your family and stuff like that. Same for the other holidays. (except for maybe halloween)
Holidays have really gone under. Way under.
Holidays have really gone under. Way under.
4
4.O.cious Miss
Guest
Re:
I agree with the majority.....Christmas has become very commercial. It seems people have lost sight of what Christmas is really about and made it about the almighty gift. Who's bought more, who's presents are better. Most children don't even know why we celebrate christmas. They think it's just a time for presents and santa suits... :confused2
I agree with the majority.....Christmas has become very commercial. It seems people have lost sight of what Christmas is really about and made it about the almighty gift. Who's bought more, who's presents are better. Most children don't even know why we celebrate christmas. They think it's just a time for presents and santa suits... :confused2
i'm a child to a jewish father and a christian mother, but my father didn't grow up as a jew so we have little (if at all) connection to that religion. but point is that i;ve celebrated christmas (in russia it's slightly different) for as long as i remember, and since i come from a not heavily religious family, we don't keep many christian traditions, but we always keep this one.
for me, while it's true it's become more commercialized, i think that in a sense it's become more beautiful too. and for me personally, this holiday, while is about jesus and his message (and i really try to be in church christmas morning because of that), is mainly about family, about everything that's still beautiful and good in the world. that's christmas for me.
for me, while it's true it's become more commercialized, i think that in a sense it's become more beautiful too. and for me personally, this holiday, while is about jesus and his message (and i really try to be in church christmas morning because of that), is mainly about family, about everything that's still beautiful and good in the world. that's christmas for me.
SlayersDestiny
Destiny
Yes Yes Yes.... Christmas has become way too commercial!!! I feel like anymore its just all about the presents (how many you get and what it is). I am guilty as a parent of falling into the trap myself, but in the last couple of years my husband and I have learned to be more giving at the boys birthdays and concentrate on the one main thing that they want for Christmas with a few smaller things to go with it. We have all learned to be more giving in this season (as well as regular days of the yr) to charities that will help others less fortunate. It doesnt just have to be money, we donate food to Second Harvest, Toys for Tots. I generally make presents for friends and family members (different crafts that I have learned). A hand made gift means more to me than anything that is bought at the store, it means that someone cared enough about me to take their time and make me something. Bake a cake and give it to a neighbor, or make cookies for your childs classroom and teacher. Sorry for the ramble, but to answer your question again.. YES, Christmas is way too commercial!!
E
eset
Guest
SlayersDestiny said:
My aunt always gives everyone little cards from Heffer Project Internaitonal that say a cow or a chicken or something was donated in your name. It's really fun, because you are helping others, but they can be personalized based on what animal you give on behalf of each person.
The short answer is yes, Christmas is now too commercial.
The long answer was a rant I was writing which got cut short because of a power cut at work earlier but the gist was that there is still a Christmas spirit about - it just gets spread a little thinner every year. "Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" - you've just got to look a bit harder for him these days...
The long answer was a rant I was writing which got cut short because of a power cut at work earlier but the gist was that there is still a Christmas spirit about - it just gets spread a little thinner every year. "Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" - you've just got to look a bit harder for him these days...
OneEyedXander
Potential
I think Christmas is'nt commercial enough. Jesus was totaly a Keynesian.
Mr. Pointy
LOL - you're going to upset either Christians or economists with this - just not sure who;)
A
Alyson
Guest
I have noticed that too! When I was a kid all through december at school and home we were all working on decorating our house, going shopping to find presents for our family and then you would have a nativity (I think thats what its called) reminding us of how he was born, but we didn't do any of those this year and it might be cause im getting more older but everything is changing so fast its kind of unfair..
Jill_Valentine
Sacred and Profane
No offence to believers, but commercialism has made Christmas what it is: The only universal holiday. It no longer represents the birth of Christ, and I for one, am grateful. It means I get to participate in the one day of the year when everybody works just a little bit harder at being better to each other, and it means I can share that day with people all around the world, regardless of their creed. If I still thought there was any real religious weight in the day, I couldn't take part without feeling dishonest.
Perversely, it's the only day of the year I'll go to mass. Not because I believe, or because I'm expecting a sudden epiphany, or because it's a particularly comfortable experience to stand for an hour and a half in a teensy rural catholic church that's crowded above capacity to listen to a 64 year old asthmatic priest deliver an extraordinarily long sermon complete with nativity role play, but because people are just... different... around Christmas. It's not something that can be put into words, but get a crowd of people together in December, and you can feel it from them. I dunno. I consider Christmas mass a guilty pleasure.
Yes, I'll agree it is a little too commercial, but not fatally so, and I disagree with the idea that the loss of it's wider Christian association has damaged it's value. I love Christmas, even when it means twelve hour days for me, because it's twelve pleasant hours. People do not buy expensive things purely because they're expensive. They buy them because they're trying to tell the other person "I consider you very important to me. I thought you'd like this. Thanks for the last 365 days, by the way." And though the real value of Christmas does get a little shaken in the frenzy beforehand, not since 0 bc has there been a year when it hasn't been special to somebody. Society might lose a lot in the next few decades, but as long as I'm bloody breathing, I'm not giving up Christmas.
Given the untold damage that the above rant would do to my real-world representation as a cynical neo-rocker, I'll keep that sentiment discreet until next year. 😀 In the meantime, I'm still joyously celebrating the fact that we got our first white Christmas in living memory...
Perversely, it's the only day of the year I'll go to mass. Not because I believe, or because I'm expecting a sudden epiphany, or because it's a particularly comfortable experience to stand for an hour and a half in a teensy rural catholic church that's crowded above capacity to listen to a 64 year old asthmatic priest deliver an extraordinarily long sermon complete with nativity role play, but because people are just... different... around Christmas. It's not something that can be put into words, but get a crowd of people together in December, and you can feel it from them. I dunno. I consider Christmas mass a guilty pleasure.
Yes, I'll agree it is a little too commercial, but not fatally so, and I disagree with the idea that the loss of it's wider Christian association has damaged it's value. I love Christmas, even when it means twelve hour days for me, because it's twelve pleasant hours. People do not buy expensive things purely because they're expensive. They buy them because they're trying to tell the other person "I consider you very important to me. I thought you'd like this. Thanks for the last 365 days, by the way." And though the real value of Christmas does get a little shaken in the frenzy beforehand, not since 0 bc has there been a year when it hasn't been special to somebody. Society might lose a lot in the next few decades, but as long as I'm bloody breathing, I'm not giving up Christmas.
Given the untold damage that the above rant would do to my real-world representation as a cynical neo-rocker, I'll keep that sentiment discreet until next year. 😀 In the meantime, I'm still joyously celebrating the fact that we got our first white Christmas in living memory...