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Has commercialism ruined Christmas?

Have the ruined Christmas?

  • Yes the spirt of the holiday has been lost

    Votes: 19 45.2%

  • No I like the materialistic side of xmas and its good for the economy

    Votes: 10 23.8%

  • Not really bothered either way its just another day off for me

    Votes: 13 31.0%
  • Total voters
    42
MaggieD said:
Hi, Higgins. If you think Christmas is too commercial, then that's on you (no offense). I think one can choose to celebrate Christmas any way one chooses. Thanks to Josie's post about Christmas a week or so ago, we plan on doing all of our shopping at local stores rather than chains knowing that we're supporting our local businessmen instead of the WalMart's of the world. We always give to a Toys for Tots program in the neighborhood knowing the Marines make sure the toys get to the kids that need them. For some people on our list, we make a donation to PAWS (a no-kill animal shelter in Chicago). And we go for the thoughtful gifts rather than the chachkies. It takes a lot more thought (brain-wracking sometimes), but it feels good. I think one reason people get messed up about Christmas is that they feel pressure to over-spend. Don't do it. Spend three times as long making your list as you do shopping. You'd be surprised what you can come up with.

As for the holiday decorations in the stores, they're beautiful!! And the Christmas music? That's inspiring!!

Christmas doesn't have to be commercial at your house. No, no it doesn't. ;)
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I love the atmosphere too, just want the thanksgiving stuff to be in it's proper order.
 
Jryan said:
Christmas had nothing to do with Christ. It has everything to do with spreading love and wealth. :)
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Sorry you feel this way. But the only reason I think about Christmas is because it's the official celebration of His birth. "Long lay the world/In sin and error pining..."--you know. All the rest is familial tradition, which itself is lovely.
 
A facebook friend posted this, I thought it was hilarious.

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Turn off your TV.* Stay out of stores.

*Except when the original "Grinch" is on. Do not under any circumstances watch the Grinch movie.
 
Hey, one of MY friends posted that too.... hmmm....
 
I put up my Christmas decorations today. :)
 
The commercialism doesn't bother me. Giving and receiving gifts doesn't lessen my enjoyment of spending time with family and getting to see relatives that I don't see on a regular basis otherwise.
 
Josie said:
I put up my Christmas decorations today. :)
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I didn't know I was supposed to take them down. ;)

Seriously, I did string up a bunch of lights last weekend before we headed out of town for Thanksgiving. When we return home tomorrow I will flip a switch and light up the house. I didnt have to put lights in one of our dogwoods since I did leave a string in it last winter. I plugged it in to test the lights and they all work. I may leave up another year and become the official neighborhood redneck.
 
Higgins86 said:
Has commercialism ruined Christmas?
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I guess that depends, on whether you let it ruin Christmas for you or not.

It all kind of depends on what Christmas means to you. For me Christmas is about faith, family, togetherness, and a mighty good dinner. :) Hard to ruin that.

My son is 15, and he is one awesome good kid. A couple weeks ago, just suddenly out of the blue, he told me something, he said "Dad, I know money's kind of tight right now. I just wanted you to know that you don't have to get me anything for Christmas, and it's fine if you can't, I really don't mind at all."

Gotta love that kid. He is getting something for Christmas btw, even if I have to eat Ramen for a week.

Now contrast that with some brats that you know that have a fit if they don't get ten gifts and turn up their nose at anything worth less than $100....

Christmas is what you and your family make of it.
 
Goshin said:
I guess that depends, on whether you let it ruin Christmas for you or not.

It all kind of depends on what Christmas means to you. For me Christmas is about faith, family, togetherness, and a mighty good dinner. :) Hard to ruin that.

My son is 15, and he is one awesome good kid. A couple weeks ago, just suddenly out of the blue, he told me something, he said "Dad, I know money's kind of tight right now. I just wanted you to know that you don't have to get me anything for Christmas, and it's fine if you can't, I really don't mind at all."

Gotta love that kid. He is getting something for Christmas btw, even if I have to eat Ramen for a week.

Now contrast that with some brats that you know that have a fit if they don't get ten gifts and turn up their nose at anything worth less than $100....

Christmas is what you and your family make of it.
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Great post! You've got a great kid there Goshin.
 
Higgins86 said:
Was in Wal*mart today and was shocked to see xmas tree's up, xmas music playing and the staff wearing xmas hats! Xmas has been very commercial for a long time as we all know but is it getting too much? Its only Nov 15th and it is already being shoved down our throats, I mean what about thanksgiving? This will be my 3rd thanksgiving and you hardly even hear about it!
Growing up I used to get excited on Dec 1st seeing all the decorations being put up and hyas it got closer you used to get that nice warm feeling inside knowing xmas was just around the cornor. Nowdays they start so early that by the time xmas actually comes I just want it to be over with and all the good spirt and magic of xmas is lost. I was brought up a catholic and I have to say its very odd for me that there is not even a sign in the stores that it is a relgious holiday just full of tacky snowmen and cheap toys.
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That was your punishment for shopping at Wal Mart. You got what you deserved. ;)

Happy Thanksgiving to you. :2wave:
 
I think Christmas has ruined the spirit of various ancient winter festivals.
 
Well, since Jesus Could not have been born in mid-winter (had to be born in the late spring, summer or early fall based on shepherds being in the fields at night in Israel) and Christmas is holiday created by the Catholic Church about 300 - 450 AD so their members would quit participating in popular pagan rituals in late December / early January, I'm not really sure that commercialism could do too much damage.

BTW, the earliest know celebration of Christ birth was in 200AD in Egypt and was held on May 20th. (Info from Encyclopædia Britannica)
 
Frolicking Dinosaurs said:
Well, since Jesus Could not have been born in mid-winter (had to be born in the late spring, summer or early fall based on shepherds being in the fields at night in Israel) and Christmas is holiday created by the Catholic Church about 300 - 450 AD so their members would quit participating in popular pagan rituals in late December / early January, I'm not really sure that commercialism could do too much damage.

BTW, the earliest know celebration of Christ birth was in 200AD in Egypt and was held on May 20th. (Info from Encyclopædia Britannica)
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I read somewhere on the internet shepherds could only score frankincense in the Oct-Nov timeframe and that stuff had a FDA mandates expiration date of 45 days......so it only reasons Christ was born in December. ;)
 
I voted "just another day off to me."

When I'm nearby, I do Christmas with my family. I do it because they want to. No other reason.

It doesn't bother me to do Christmas. I just don't have any personal drive to do it, partly because I don't think it's important. There's a few reasons for that.

1. I'm not a Christian.
2. I can love my family any time I want. I don't need a special day to tell me it's ok (I feel this way about a lot of holidays, religious or not).
3. Christmas has always been about selling stuff, whether it's selling your religion or selling your new gadget. This commercialism is not new.

So it really makes no difference to me. I think it's rather comical that the Christmas season, and the selling of associated wares, starts sometime around July these days. But does it bother me? No. I never thought there was anything particularly meaningful about Christmas to begin with.
 
Higgins86 said:
Was in Wal*mart today and was shocked to see xmas tree's up, xmas music playing and the staff wearing xmas hats! Xmas has been very commercial for a long time as we all know but is it getting too much? Its only Nov 15th and it is already being shoved down our throats, I mean what about thanksgiving? This will be my 3rd thanksgiving and you hardly even hear about it!
Growing up I used to get excited on Dec 1st seeing all the decorations being put up and hyas it got closer you used to get that nice warm feeling inside knowing xmas was just around the cornor. Nowdays they start so early that by the time xmas actually comes I just want it to be over with and all the good spirt and magic of xmas is lost. I was brought up a catholic and I have to say its very odd for me that there is not even a sign in the stores that it is a relgious holiday just full of tacky snowmen and cheap toys.
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I am sure that somebody has to have already said this, but Christmas didn't used to show its ugly head until the after Thanksgiving...
 
Jryan said:
I just honestly think you are misviewing Christmas as an adult. When you were a child it was a time of receiving. Maybe now that you are an adult you are viewing it as a time of giving. Not saying you are a cheap gate, but I think this could have a semi-psychological effect on your view. Merry X-mas anyways though. I do agree, personally, that it is to early to put up decorations.
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As a kid I viewed it as a time of getting... of course, but also of family getting together. Football, table tennis eating. It was just great. Now, as a father of two incredible little girls (not so little now 6, 8) that LOVE Christmas and Santa and are so innocent and cute and imaginative? Writing to Santa and shopping for them. So fun. I might even love Christmas more for the giving. I hide presents even though they don't look for them. They are basically in plain sight, just high.

Regarding the OP. I don't pay attention to any of the Christmas stuff. I am probably a little different. I turn off or mute commercials and have never bought into the consumer ad thing. Wastes energy and is manipulative.
 
Lots of people wanted this stuff for Christmas, someone figured out a way to provide it, cheaper.
Now you may have some fanciful belief that in prior years, people didn't want stuff, but it's all fantasy.

Things have been made more affordable, it's progress people.
 
Unintended consequences of the free market and it's habit of commercializing everything. BFD. Don't like? Don't buy into it. Keep about Jesus being born on December 25th or whatever.
 
RadicalModerate said:
Unintended consequences of the free market and it's habit of commercializing everything. BFD. Don't like? Don't buy into it. Keep about Jesus being born on December 25th or whatever.
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If only I could escape the constant assault of Christmas songs in virtually every public space.
 
RadicalModerate said:
Unintended consequences of the free market and it's habit of commercializing everything. BFD. Don't like? Don't buy into it. Keep about Jesus being born on December 25th or whatever.
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Christmas is a holiday stolen from the Pagans in the first place... the whole notion is stupid. That being said, if people are into their family and like to give people things out of niceness, then I see no problem with Christmas or the commercial nature of it.
 
misterman said:
If only I could escape the constant assault of Christmas songs in virtually every public space.
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I have been away from that for so long now that I kinda miss it... :lol:
 
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