Giving Gifts

The shops have been full of Christmas for weeks. Christmas in the sense of "stuff" - cards, decorations, presents. The money spent literally keeps some companies going for the rest of the year.

http://moneystepper.com/other-finance/christmas-retail-sales-2013/

My heart sinks at the end of August when it all starts. I've blogged before about how I feel about Christmas, so I won't re-wind.

I remember my Christmases as a child in a one income, working class family. I thought getting a book of my own was wonderful. It bore no resemblance whatsoever to Christmas today. But then the same is true of weddings, funerals, birthdays......celebrations in general.

By the time I had a family of my own - professional, two income, middle class, things had changed. But I often made my own gifts & decorations. I certainly made all of the food from scratch, although I was working full time. It was quite an effort. There were limits on spending & volume. Christmas didn't really start until November / December. There really wasn't any excess.

Now there is "pester power". The lists are written weeks before the event. Children want what their friends have & know how to get it. Companies know how to reach their mini market with targeted advertising. The gifts are tecnological and very expensive. Nothing is valued. Wrapping is torn off in a frenzy & children rush on to the next gift. Opening presents takes days because there are so many.

Giving & receiving should be a pleasure. Chosing an appropriate gift for someone close to you isn't about money, it's about love, thought & time. It's not about volume, it's about being special.

We are "time poor". Christmas has become a treadmill. We just throw money at it. Thought has gone out of the window, otherwise we would refuse such excessive waste in the face of a world of poverty.