Christmas means an assortment of things to a multitude of people. It can mean one-on-one family bonding, the feeling of hot chocolate warming your insides after a long day outside, or even listening to the crunching sound of feet on snow echoing through the streets. Despite all these cherished holiday moments there is an aspect of Christmas that gets overlooked during the carving of the family turkey, this holiday characteristic is consumerism.
Consumerism has engulfed the Christmas spirit without the average holiday shopper even noticing. In this world we live in advertising has placed a very specific idea in our heads of what the perfect Christmas gift is and how our holiday will be incomplete without “that gift.” The perfect gift is a mere idea of what we want as people because advertising agencies placed the idea that the biggest, newest and most expensive is the best.
As Chuck Palahniuk wrote in his novel Lullaby, “Experts in ancient Greek culture say that people back then didn’t see their thoughts as belonging to them. When ancient Greeks had a thought, it occurred to them as a god or goddess giving an order. Apollo was telling them to be brave. Athena was telling them to fall in love. Now people hear a commercial for sour cream potato chips and rush out to buy, but now they call this free will. At least the ancient Greeks were being honest.”
Palahniuk could have been talking about the Christmas season. Older family traditions have taken a back seat to shoving out wheelbarrows of money to create a material sense of personal happiness. Instead of focusing on family values, parents have turned to body slamming each other in an attempt to get their hands on Tickle Me Elmo’s.
Despite the fact that consumerism has an important role on Christmas, it is troublesome just how important consumerism is to the average person at Christmas time. If used properly, consumerism can bring a family together under the Christmas tree and create long lasting memorizes of tearing away at the wrapping paper trying to figure out what’s inside. The problem with modern day consumerism is that there is too much emphasis put on the gifts under the Christmas tree, instead of the family that surrounds it. What happened? When did getting the newest gadgets take presentence over all over aspects of the holiday?
We spend too much time focusing on what we want and the items that define us instead of taking the time to appreciate other aspects of our lives. We need to focus on the simple things on Christmas. The mouth-watering smell of the Christmas turkey roasting in the oven, the laughs of family members echoing through the house, or even the bright lights of the Christmas tree reflecting around the house illuminating the faces of loved ones.
This holiday season, take time away from ogling at your new appliances and be sure to focus on what matters to you. Whether you concentrate on friends, family, or even yourself, be sure to do what it takes to make this holiday season a memorable one.
