The Christmas season is on its way, but for some of us, it has already arrived. No matter when the festivities show up, a dark cloud lurks overhead, sending holiday merry-makers into a snit of idealism: commercialism.
I love Christmas more than most, and for me, it is a holiday of all the warm, fuzzy things celebrated in feel-good movies and perky songs. Even for me, though, it’s hard to miss the commercial aspect that creeps into the season each year, but I argue it isn’t entirely a bad thing.
In an ideal world, the weeks preceding Christmas would be filled with love, joy, peace and good cheer, but instead we see stores pushing merchandise we don’t need or want. If you look behind the ugliness commercialism presents, there’s a side I don’t think I want completely removed from Christmas.
We give gifts to show the love and appreciation we have for others. Sure, finding the perfect gift is more work than a 10-page paper sometimes, but the effort shows how deeply we care. To some, gift cards from Grandma may say, “I can finally buy exactly what I want.” To me it says, “Grandma doesn’t know me well enough to know I hate red shirts.”
Gifts and all the other commercial trappings also help separate it from other holidays like Halloween. Do you really want to live in a world where Christmas is just another day?
The economic benefits to retailers and the damage to consumers are undeniable. The day after Thanksgiving, called Black Friday, is the start of a very lucrative season. It’s another story for consumers. The NPD Group, a consumer and retail research firm, reported the average amount each American planned on spending on Christmas gifts was $681.
So really, holiday commercialism wouldn’t be such a bad thing if parents didn’t buy so many Barbies that they need a second mortgage, or if they thought about others along the way. As you’re tossing a fruitcake in the cart for Grandpa, grab something to donate to programs like Toys for Tots.
Commercialism is something we can’t stop, so we should work with it as best as we can. Enjoy the decorations. Hum to a jolly tune as you stroll down the absurdly narrow Wal-Mart aisles. Relax and keep it in perspective.
It’s just like Dr. Seuss wrote in “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas:” “What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?”