It's Almost Time for Bah Humbug Day
by John A
(Tyler, TX)
Is is just me or do many others feel the same as I do about the Christmas Holiday being nothing more than a day to drive one onto the verge of bankruptcy to satisfy the gimme, gimme, gimme of others and to keep up with the Jones? It's a holiday of unreasonable expectations that has been driven by retailers and family members.
As the Christmas Holiday approaches, I see stores in the middle of August getting ready by putting up all sorts of decorations with those little electronic music boxes that start playing Deck the Halls as you walk by them.
I have to listen to this stuff each time I go into Walmart (I call it Wally Martinez in my neck of the woods) or Walgreens as I do my normal weekly shopping for every day life and pharmacy needs. It's enough to drive an insane person crazy listing to these little screechy electronic music boxes go off throughout the store.
To me, it seems as though we as a society have lost sight of what the holiday is all about. We have seemed to bastardize the holiday into a day of fulfilling the material wants of people instead of making it a day for sharing times and experiences with friends and family; to make good memories.
It's a day where each of us should reflect upon our relationships with others and how each needs to be treated with kindness and consideration throughout the year; not just on one day. Everyday needs to be Christmas.
Instead it is generally a day really devoted to lining the pockets and bottom line of the corporate world who could really care less about the true intent of Christmas. There are some of those corporations who do care, but they are becoming farther and fewer between. And there are those individuals who give to the less fortunate through their wonderful generosity.
At times I wonder what the world would be like if many of us experienced those dreams like Ebenezer Scrooge did during Charles Dickens 1843 story the Christmas Carol. Would the world be better off or would folks just revert back to the old ways?
I would like to believe folks would be changed for the good and that we learned to take care of one another. But, that's pie in the sky thinking since it will never happen if mankind has anything to do with it.
Now, I feel we all need to take a step back and think about what the Christmas Holiday really means. Is it a day we take a step closer to the bankruptcy court or is it a day that we reflect on our relationships with others and our spiritual needs? To some, this is a time of the year when they will get up at the crack of dawn or literally spend days and nights camped out at some store's doors to be the first one in line to buy the latest gadget on sale. Or, folks may be lined up by the hundreds at the store front waiting for the doors to open and then literally run over and injure one another to get those on sale items. We've all seen those scenes on television. Is it really worth it to live life like this trying to satisfy the kids or other family members? No! It's insane. Those sale items will soon fade away because they wear out, are broken or no longer useful.
Personally, I am tired of trying to keep up with the Jones and trying to satisfy the material wants of family. I'd rather have piece of mind knowing that I did my best trying to be a good friend, brother and husband by forging those important relationships which are things that can not be bought or replaced. Material things do not define us. We are defined by who and what we are as individuals and how we conduct our affairs and helping the less fortunate. It is important how we spend time with family and friends and being in service to others. For me, that's all I want. Consequently I say bah humbug to Christmas as we have defined it for years.
